


A Wise Man Once Said

by Gothfoxgirl



Category: Undertale (Video Game), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: After a Neutral Run, Asgore never died, F/M, Frisk never left, M/M, Magic, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Midoriya Izuku has Seizures, NInth fallen human, Not Beta Read, Set in the Underground, apathetic izuku, we die like warriors, yeet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-10 03:58:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21468373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothfoxgirl/pseuds/Gothfoxgirl
Summary: He was nothing to them. Why stay?He was everything to them. Why leave?
Relationships: Frisk/Sans (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku & Alphys (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku & Asgore Dreemur (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku & Asriel Dreemur (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku & Flowey (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku & Frisk (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku & Mettaton (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku & Muffet (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku & Papyrus (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku & Sans (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku & Toriel Dreemur (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku & Undyne (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku & W.D. Gaster (Undertale), Midoriya Izuku/Grillby
Comments: 95
Kudos: 257





	1. Buttercups

The petals were soft against his face, as he laid chest down on the bed of flowers. Idly, he wondered why the fall didn’t splatter him across the ground on impact. A voice, close to the ground, seemed to verbally prod at him.  
“Hey, Kid. You aren’t dead, are you?” He groaned.  
“Just leave me here to starve to death, please.”  
"Huh? You gotta death wish or something, Kid?" There was a grunt.  
"Yup. Thought the fall would paint the ground with my brains. Looks like I can't even try to kill myself right..."   
"Dude...You're what? 14?"  
"Hit the nail on the head. How did you even get down here? I had to fall like ten stories."   
"I live down here. You...do know where you decided to off yourself, right?"  
"Meh. Didn't care to check the location."  
"This is Mount Ebott. Unless you look up, you're gonna think I'm crazy when I say that...well...Welcome to The Underground. The home of monsters." He scoffed.  
"What drugs are you on dude?" There was silence, before something wrapped around his head and lifted it, letting him see...a flower with a face?

"I'm Flowey. Flowey the flower. And you?" Dull green eyes blinked, as he sat up.  
"Midoriya Izuku. The forgotten and hated one."  
"Damn, Kid. You're a real burst of sunshine, you know that?" The flower got a shrug, making him sigh.  
"Well. Since you're here, you most likely will run into the keeper of these ruins. Usually, this would be where I try to kill you for your soul, but I just don't want to."  
"Hm? What made you change your mind?"   
"For starters, the keeper of the ruins and her adopted daughter kinda took me in, so I would only get them very mad at me if I were to even try to hurt you. Besides. Technically the keeper is my mom." That made Izuku choke on his surprise.  
"Wh-"  
"I wasn't always a flower and Flowey isn't my actual name. The only ones that know about her being my mom are me, you, her adopted daughter, and one of the other monsters."  
"Then, why tell me? You literally met me minutes ago." Flowey rubbed at his face with a leaf.  
"Honestly? You have the same attitude that I do...or try to have, now that I'm no longer as evil as I used to be."   
"So......bitter and apathetic?"  
"Exactly."  
"So...until I starve to death or this keeper comes around, could I ask some questions?"  
"Shoot."  
"Why the hell are you monsters down here? I mean still. Couldn't you have left by now?" Flowey sighed.  
"There's a barrier keeping us here. Magic. Literally. The only way we can think to break it is by getting seven human souls. But that idea was shot down when the eighth human fell. She solidified herself a place here."

Izuku blinked.  
"Ok? Why were you once evil?" The flower took a deep breath.  
"I don't have a soul. Like...I have none. I can't really feel much, which is why all I feel is apathy."  
"What? How the f-"  
"I was an experiment. One my creator doesn't really remember anymore."  
"?"  
"A question of my own. Well...two. One. Why did you throw yourself?" Izuku sighed a little.  
"What is there to tell? I'm useless. A quirkless nobody. Even my own mother used to pity my very existence, while some loathe it. I decided to save everyone the trouble and toss myself."  
"Quirkless?"  
"You all have probably been down here a while. In the past 80-someaught-years humans and some animals gained a freak mutation in their genes. Roughly 80% of the population has, what could be called, a superpower. Those without them are called quirkless. As if it were some kind of disease."   
"Well...That answers my second question of what is happening up there." Izuku shrugged and fell back into the flowers.  
"Looks like she's here. Over here!" A goat woman came over and saw Izuku.  
"Oh you poor child! You've been here a while."  
"Not really a child, but...whatever floats your boat I guess..." She looked startled.  
“You…” He got up with a sigh.  
“I’m Izuku.” He held his hand out and she took it.  
“I’m Toriel.”  
“Flowey was explaining where I am. Actually surprised the drop didn’t kill me.” She clapped her hands softly.  
“Ah. I believe I can answer that. There’s a lot of magic here, in the Ruins. We aren’t, truly, sure why it made a cushioning effect, though. It’s saved eight humans...nine now, from falling to their deaths.” He nodded and shoved his hands into the pockets of his school uniform, after picking up his backpack from the ground.  
“So...How is it that no one knows about Mt. Ebott where I’m from, but I can remember it so well?” Flowey cleared his throat.  
“Apparently, this mountain and, by extension, the Underground are so bound to magic that it bounces around the world at random. The last human, Frisk, was from America.”   
“Hmm...Odd.”

He followed behind Toriel, as she lead him through the traps that scattered the Ruins. When outside the woman’s home, something caught his attention. It looked like a star that had fallen from the night sky. The goat woman didn’t seem to notice, as she continued inside.  
“What...is that?” Flowey, who was wrapped up his arm answered him.  
“That’s a SAVE point. Most monsters can’t see them. Touch it.” He reached out and did so. It was warm in his fingers, sending tingles up them. Then, he heard a voice.  
**”The sight of such a well put together house and the knew knowledge fills you with _WISDOM._”** He heard a beep and jerked his hands back, hissing under his breath.  
“What the FUCK was that?!”   
“Looks like your main soul trait is WISDOM.”  
“What does that mean?” Flowey motioned with his leaf.  
“Focus on bringing your soul up.” He did, feeling something in the middle of his torso. It was a weird object that didn’t seem like it belonged, but did, at the same time. Bringing it out, it was about the size of an apple and a lilac purple color.  
“This is your soul. It’s the very culmination of your being. Every human has a specific trait their soul gravitates towards. Frisk’s soul trait is DETERMINATION.”  
“Ah. I think I understand. What do these save points do?”  
“If you get into a situation you don’t want to be in, you can focus on your last SAVE point and you can go back to it. No one will remember, except you, me, Frisk, and Sans.”  
“Sans?”   
“Oh. He’s a skeleton that lives in Snowdin. A town through the exit of Toriel’s house.”  
“I see…”

He stepped inside and Toriel smiled, gently, at him. She looked nervous.  
“Ah...I’ll make you something to eat and then take you to the barrier, so you can go home...I’m sure you don’t want to be here…” He shrugged.  
“I’d rather be anywhere but up there. Thanks for the meal, though.” She looked confused.  
“Didn’t you fall?”  
“Not like I’ll be missed, honestly. The only one that would miss me would have been my mother. She had a stroke a month ago, which killed her. I have no one up there.” Toriel looked horrified.  
“And your...your father?” Izuku shrugged.  
“He was murdered before I was born.” She covered her mouth and stepped forward, wrapping him up in a hug. He chuckled softly.  
“Thanks. I know I seem blunt about it. I’m just...desensitized to it all.” She nodded and walked to the kitchen, throwing some information over her shoulder.  
“There’s a room you can stay in, should you choose to. There’s some stairs that lead to the exit. Please don’t leave through them until you’ve had some food.” He nodded and took to wandering. He checked the room and found crayon drawings pinned up on the walls, a wardrobe, a bed, and an old box of toys. He smiled a touch and pulled out a toy train, just looking at its chipping paint. It was a familiar weight in his hands.  
“Did you have one?”  
“A toy train? Yes. Mum got me one for my fifth birthday...but an ex friend destroyed it. Told me I didn’t deserve it.” Flowey looked saddened, but didn’t reply, as he put it back in the box. 

Izuku decided to see what was down the stairs. He peeked his head into the kitchen, remembering to speak in English.  
“Miss Toriel?”  
“Hmm?”  
“I thought I’d let you know that I was going to check out what was down the stairs. I didn’t want to just disappear without telling you.” She seemed to brighten.  
“Oh! Thank you for telling me. I’ll come let you know when the food is done.” He nodded in thanks and went back out to the main entrance and then down the steps, leaving Flowey to keep Toriel company. He followed the long hallway, up to a large door at the end. He heard a knock and rose a brow, before a voice accompanied it.  
“Knock Knock.” Huh? He knelt in front of the door. He absolutely _loved_ jokes.  
“Who’s there?” The other person seemed to start, before continuing the joke.  
“Nobel.”  
“Nobel who?”  
“Nobel. That’s why I knocked.” Izuku felt a smile force itself onto his face for the first time in months.  
“Good one.”  
“Say. Who are you? You’re definitely not Tori.”  
“Oh. I’m Izuku. I literally just fell down here an hour ago. Miss Toriel offered to make me a meal and allowed me to come down here to explore what was here. Who’re you?”  
“I’m Sans. Sans the skeleton.”  
“Flowey mentioned you.” There was a pause, making the teen sigh.  
“He’s not bad, just...apathetic...like me.”  
“Uh…”  
“He’s told me what he’s done, but I really don’t give a crap. So...Why shouldn’t you let advanced math intimidate you?”  
“Why?” Izuku smirked.  
“It’s easy as pi!” That earned him a laugh from the other side of the door.  
“Nice! A neutron walks into a bar and asks the bartender what the price of a drink was. The bartender replied, ‘For you, no charge!’” Izuku snickered and they went back and forth for a while, sharing jokes and laughs, until footsteps came down the hall.

Toriel smiled at the sight of the greenette sitting against the door.  
“Lunch is ready, my child.” Izuku stood up and rapped his knuckles to the door.  
“Thanks. I haven’t laughed like that in years.”  
“No problem.” Toriel cracked a smile.  
“Good afternoon, Sans.”  
“Hey, Tori.”  
“Would you like to come in and have lunch with us?” There was a hum.  
“I guess I could use something that _sticks to my ribs._” Both Izuku and Toriel snickered, as the door was opened inwards. In stepped said skeleton, who held a hand out to the teenager.  
“Sup?” The greenette could see what was in his hand, but humored him. The cushion went off, making the three of them laugh again. Izuku spoke in unison with Sans.  
“Whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It’s always funny.” Sans snorted again.  
“Jinx!” Izuku was maybe a head and a half taller than the skeleton, as they made their way back inside and away from the nipping cold of the outside. The man was texting on his phone, probably letting someone know where he was.  
“If I may ask...How are you doing that?”  
“Hm? Doing what?”  
“Texting. I mean...you don’t have any...meat on those bones.” He laughed a little.  
“Magic...Not sarcastically. Monsters are made of magic and will. Sounds like sci-fi, I know.” Izuku shrugged.  
“Sounds legit to me...especially from the world I came from…” Toriel glanced over.  
“What do you mean, my child?” He scratched his head.  
“I assume this last human told you what was going on on the Surface...right?”  
“No. She’s been here for a thousand years. Before you ask how, the magic here and her DETERMINATION let her live indefinitely, like most monsters do.”  
“I see...Well, as I told Flowey, 80-ish years ago there was a freak mutation in human gene codes. It allowed around 80% of the population of the entire planet to have a sort of power. My mom could attract small objects and my dad could breathe fire, for example. If you were to think of almost any power, I’m pretty sure someone has it or has had it in the past.” Both monsters looked awed.  
“And you?” He gave a bitter chuckle.  
“I was born in the 20% that doesn’t have one. I was born to be a failure.” His eyes went dull and trained forwards, making it so he couldn’t see the concerned expressions on the faces of the other two.

The lunch was fantastic. That was for damn sure.   
“Thanks for the food, Tori. Sorry to eat and run, but Pap’s looking for me.” She laughed gently.  
“Not a problem, Sans. Better not to make your brother worry.” He gave a solution and blinked out of sight, as Izuku tipped his head.  
“Hmm...I wonder. Teleportation or glitching?”  
“No one actually knows, my child. Not even Sans.” Nodding, he stood up and took his plate into his hands.  
“Oh. You don’t need to take your dishes into the kitchen.” His vision flickered, replacing Toriel with a woman that had long green hair and deep green eyes. His mother. He blinked back the tears that beaded into his eyes.  
“You made lunch. At least let me clean up.”


	2. Chilly

The next day found Izuku’s desire for exploration exploding through him. He bid Toriel a good day and left his number with her, in case she needed to call. When he stepped out of the door, he rubbed his arms through his uniform. They were thin, for spring. Flowey was still wrapped around his arm, shivering a little, too. He brought his arm forward and put a hand to the side of the flower’s face, hoping to keep him warm.  
“Eh? I’m ok. Keep yourself warm until we get to Snowdin. I’m used to the weather, but I usually travel underground.” Izuku said nothing and kept moving forwards, passing over a bridge that had bars on either side. The trees were dense on the edges of the path, making it a little paranoia-inducing to be out there. They passed a sentry station that looked like it hadn’t been used in a very long time.  
“Just a little past here. Watch the ice.” He nodded and kept going, skirting around the back of Doggo’s station, even if it looked worn down. The patch of ice was easy to get around and so was the most of the rest of the area. When they got to the puzzles, he showed off his spatial awareness and got through them. The iced over one was a little tricky, but he got past it. Upon reaching the bridge, it was just a walk across.  
“Hey...Izuku?”  
“Hm?”  
“Aren’t you tired?”  
“Not really. Mentally, yeah, but physically no.”  
“Shouldn’t you...you know...be tired by now?” Izuku shook his head.  
“I was training to become a hero in my world. There’s a shitload of crime and villainy happening now, so we need heroes to cull it. I was going to take the exam, but...I had my dreams crushed. It was the last straw.” There was a star outside the shop and he took it into his hands.  
**”The sounds of the town, letting you know people are happy, fill you with _WISDOM._”**

He shook his hands.  
“Weird.” He kept walking, until a warmth radiated from one of the buildings. Standing close to the door, he felt the chill of the snow slip away. The sign said ‘Grillby’s’.  
“Why don’t you go inside?”  
“It looks like a bar. I’m not old enough.”  
“It’s not really a bar. He sells normal drinks and burgers too.”  
“I don’t have any money.” That was when the door opened and a head made of fire peeked out, his voice calm and soft.  
“Flowey?”  
“Hey, Grillby.”  
“Who’s this?”  
“Greetings. I’m Izuku.”  
“Grillby.” They shook hands.  
“You’re freezing. Please come inside.” Following behind him, he finally felt the numbness in his nose and cheeks, as the warmth washed over onto him.

Being sat at the bar, the elemental slipped into the back. After a couple minutes, he came back with a mug and set it on the counter in front of him.  
“I...don’t have much money…” He reached into his bag and shuffled around, finding his wallet. All he could find was 543 yen. Before he could hand it to the man, he shook his head.  
“It’s on the house.” Green eyes looked between the mug of hot chocolate and the bartender, as if to ask ‘why?’. A small smile crossed the man’s barely noticeable mouth.  
“You look like you need it.” The teen’s eyes closed, as he sighed.  
“Thanks.” He took a sip and felt nostalgia fill his body. Little tears came to his eyes, as he remembered his mother.  
“Are you alright?”  
“Yes. Thank you. Just...memories.” That was when the bell jingled, letting them know someone entered.  
“Oh. Hey, again, Kid.” Glancing back, he met the eyes of the skeleton he’d joked with yesterday.  
“Hey, Sans.” There was a young woman behind him with brunette hair. She looked human.  
“Oh! Hello.” The teen waved.  
“Hello.” She stepped closer, wearing a grey turtleneck.  
“I’m Frisk.”  
“Izuku.” They shook hands and Izuku put his back on his mug to warm them up again.  
“Are you…”  
“Human? Yep. Fell yesterday. Miss Toriel took me in for the day.”

Frisk smiled a touch.  
“Mom’s kind like that.” Flowey yawned and woke up from his short nap, seeing her and waving a leaf.  
“Hi, Frisk.” His voice was groggy, as he woke a little more. She pat his head.  
“Hi, Flowey. Have a nice nap?” He nodded and crawled onto her arm and shoulders. Izuku took another drink of his hot chocolate, letting the steam warm his face, as the others took the seats to his right, Sans right next to him.  
“So...How was your night?” Izuku smirked over the lip of his drink.  
“Well...for someone as _bone tired_ as I was, it was really good.” Frisk snickered.  
“Looks like you got someone to joke around with, huh, Dear?” That comment made Izuku tilt his head.  
“Huh?” Frisk giggled and showed her left hand, her ring finger decorated with, henna-like, markings and kanji. Izuku smiled gently. There was the kanji for ‘love’ and one for ‘forever’ lined over her finger. He understood, completely. He nodded, seeing that Sans’ left ring finger was also branded, though not as flowery.  
“Flowey told me that you have the soul of DETERMINATION. Is that right, Mrs. Frisk?” She went a little pink.  
“O-Oh...Please just call me Frisk. And yes, you’re correct.” She summoned her soul, showing that it was a rich red color. He did the same, having a bit of a tougher time pulling forth his lilac one.  
“Hm? What soul trait is that, I wonder?”  
“WISDOM, apparently.” As he finished his mug, Grillby offered a napkin, which was taken with a nod.  
“Thanks.” He wiped his mouth and hands of his drink.  
“That was amazing.” The elemental seemed to go a bit yellow at the core of his face, as he took the mug back into the kitchen.

Sans snickered.  
“You got Grillby to go flustered. _Hot_ damn.”  
“Does he not get flustered easily?”  
“Kinda. He’s usually good at not blushing.” Izuku nodded.  
“Hey...Is there any place I could exchange the money I have for the currency of this place?” Frisk nodded.  
“There’s a bank next door. They take all kinds of money and change it to G.” He smiled gently.  
“Thank you.” Frisk got up again.  
“I’ll show you around. Sans, I’ll see you in a bit.” She pecked his temple and lead the boy outside again.

They slipped into the bank and Izuku stepped forwards.  
“Could I convert this to G?” The horse monster behind the counter smiled gently, taking the yen into his hooves, which were parted to give him a thumb.  
“Here you are. 75G.”  
“Thank you.”  
“You’re very welcome. Have a nice day.”  
“You too.” They left and Frisk smiled at him.  
“Snowdin is small, compared to cities on the Surface, but there’s plenty of people to keep this place bright. There’s a ferryman that can take you to the other places in The Underground, should you not want to walk. After Snowdin is Waterfall and then Hotland and then the King’s house. The royal scientist, Alphys, lives in Hotland, so she can be close to her lab.” The greenette rubbed his hands together.  
“Sans...said something about a brother, yesterday.”  
“Oh. Papyrus lives with his husband, in Hotland.”  
“Husband?”  
“His husband is Mettaton. A robot-AI with a soul. They live close to the lab, so Alphys, his creator, can fix him should he have problems.” The teen nodded, as he bit his lip.  
“Is there something wrong?” His voice felt dry in his throat.  
“I...was so sure the drop would kill me...I thought…” Frisk hugged him from the back, her voice soft.  
“You thought you were free.” He started.  
“How…” She looked around, before whispering to him.  
“Please don’t tell Sans, but...that’s how I got here, too.” He nearly jumped from his skin.  
“Wh…”  
“When I jumped down here, I was a child. Younger than you. I had become a shadow. Nobody remembered me. I decided that dying was better than being a living ghost.” He nodded.  
“I won’t tell him.”  
“And I won’t say, as well.”

As they continued to walk, Izuku old her about what had happened with the humans the thousand years she’d been gone...at her prompting, of course. So, out came the knowledge of a third World War. The rise of the Technical Age. The rise of quirks. And the rise of heroes...Along with why he came to the opening of The Underground to die.  
“So...Humans would have been able to travel the solar system, at their leisure, had quirks not shown up?”  
“Yes...apparently. That’s what we’ve been told.” Frisk hummed softly, changing the subject.  
“So...Are you going to live with Mom?” He shrugged.  
“I don’t want to bother her. I think I might make myself a home in the forest outside the Ruins…”  
“Oh! No no! It’s far too cold in Snowdin Forest!” He rose a brow.  
“I don’t have the money to stay in the inn, long term, and I’m used to the cold.” She gave a warm smile.  
“Why don’t you stay with Sans and me? At least until you can buy or build yourself a home of your own.” Izuku blinked at her.  
“I...You just met me...and I wouldn’t want to burden you with that.”  
“Nonsense. You wouldn’t be a bother.”  
“Don’t you think you should talk with your husband, before making such a decision?” She whipped out her phone and called said skeleton, putting it on speaker.  
“Frisk?”  
“Hey, Sans. Izuku doesn’t have a place to stay, so I offered to let him stay with us. Is that alright?”  
“Of course. That sounds _sans_ational.” She facepalmed, while trying not to laugh.  
“Thanks, Dear.”  
“No prob.” They hung up, making the girl smile at Izuku.  
“See? He doesn’t mind.” He grimaced and looked away.

His eyes screwed closed.  
“Why are you all being so nice to me?” She tipped her head.  
“Everyone deserves to be treated with decency. No matter who they are.”  
“You...aren’t going to take no for an answer, are you?” She chuckled softly, but didn’t respond, making him sigh and put his hands into his pockets.  
“Thanks...I guess.” She lead him through the heart of Waterfall, he found his gaze pulled to the gorgeous aquamarine waters that gave this place a tonic water-like glow. He hadn’t even noticed that he’d paused, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He blinked and returned to walking by her side, knowing he’d have plenty of time to come back to this place. She didn’t even question his lapse in pace, continuing into Hotland, where they found a little house outside a lab.  
“This is where Papyrus and Mettaton live.” She knocked and the door was opened by a tall skeleton.  
“FRISK!” She was practically lifted from the ground in a hug, making the teen take a step back. She laughed and pat him on the back, as she was let down.  
“Papy, this is Izuku. He fell into the Underground yesterday. Izuku, this is Papyrus. Sans’ younger brother.” That was when the skeleton noticed the other human.  
“GREETINGS!” Izuku gave a small bow.  
“Good afternoon.” The man turned back into the house.  
“METTATON! COME MEET THE NEW HUMAN!” A flamboyant and slightly feminine voice responded to him, a touch of metal in his voice.  
“Oh? A new human?” A robot with a pink chassis and boots came to the door, seeming to be fixing his black fringe, only one, magenta, eye showing on his face, along with a pair of black lips. He was a pretty guy. Izuku would give him that.  
“Oh? Hello, Dear.”  
“Good afternoon.” Frisk wet her lips.  
“Mettaton, this is Izuku. Izuku, Mettaton.” They shook hands and the AI turned to the woman.  
“If you’re looking for Alphys, she’s not at work today. Poor thing came down with the flu. Undyne’s taking care of her.” Frisk’s eyes went a little softer.  
“If you see her, let her know I’m available to get her things she needs.” He smiled a touch.  
“You’re sweet. I’ll let her know.”

When they said their goodbyes for the time being, Frisk gestured towards the rest of the area.  
“Past here is the CORE and the king’s house. Do you feel up to meeting with him?” She got a shrug and continued to lead him.  
“The king is like my dad. He may be big, but he’s a teddy bear, unless he’s mad.” A ghost of a smile crossed his lips.  
“Kinda like my mom was…” Frisk didn’t answer, knowing it wasn’t meant to be. They traversed the CORE, the traps and puzzles long since deactivated. When they came to a part of the construct, Izuku stopped and stared out over the pits of, what looked like, lava. His green eyes sheened over, making the woman a little concerned.  
“Izuku?” He put his hands on the rail and looked down into the molten abyss before him.  
“I...feel someone.”


	3. Guts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god this one's almost 3K words

“What do you mean?”  
“I don’t know. I feel like there’s someone in there...but...not...not like they’re alive, but they aren’t dead.” Frisk looked startled.  
“The only thing that comes to mind is the royal scientist before Alphys. Sans told me about him. He was the one that created the CORE...which he fell into. Sans has three theories. Either he was incinerated on impact, was scattered throughout space and time, or was pulled into a rip in space-time.”  
“Why would he know what happened to this man?”  
“Because, the old royal scientist, W. D. Gaster, was his and Papyrus’ father.” That pulled a stunned expression onto Izuku’s face.  
“Woah…That’s gotta be hard.”  
“What’s worse is that not many remember Gaster. Only myself, Sans, and Flowey truly remember him. Dad kind of remembers him, but not his name or his face.” Izuku nodded and pried himself away from the rail. They made it out of the CORE and into another area.  
“Through here.” They reached another house and Frisk unlocked the front door with her key.

She went through and held the door open for Izuku.  
“Dad?”  
“Oh. Good afternoon, Frisk.” She smiled.  
“Dad, this is Izuku. He fell here yesterday.” A large goat man came through the doorway to the living room. He wore a pink shirt and blue jean shorts. His blonde hair and beard made him look like a stuffed animal, especially with his floppy ears. He knelt down, so he could hold a hand out to the greenette.  
“Ah. Hello, my child. I’m Asgore Dreemurr.” He got his handshake.  
“Izuku Midoriya.”  
“Hmm? Japanese?”  
“Yes. You’re correct, Sir.” He gave a sheepish smile.  
“Please. Call me Asgore.” Izuku nodded and the man stood again, as Frisk addressed her father-figure again.  
“I was giving Izuku a tour of the Underground. I’ll introduce him to Undyne and Alphys in a couple days, since Alphys came down with something.” Something caught Izuku’s attention from outside. Another SAVE point. The brunette made an amused sound in the back of her throat.  
“Go on. It’s ok.” As he slipped back out, he heard her speak to Asgore.  
“He sees the SAVE point outside the house.” When he touched it, he wasn’t sure if Frisk could hear it.  
**“Knowing that she may know your feelings, fills you with _WISDOM_...and a little anxiety.”**

He returned, finding Frisk looking at him with a little concern made him refuse to meet her eyes. Seeing the flicker of tension, Asgore gave a bright smile.  
“Would you like to stay for tea?” They sat around a low table and shared a kettle of green tea, something that brought back memories of his mother, once more.  
“My child? Why do you cry?” He rose his fingers to his face, finding small tears streaking his cheek. He dried his face, as he set the cup down onto its saucer.  
“Ah...I apologize. Just memories coming to the surface.” The king seemed satisfied with that answer, or didn’t want to pry, seeing as he moved the conversation in another direction.  
“How did you fall down here?”  
“Oh. I was on a hike and tripped.” He nodded.  
“Your parents must be worried sick.” Frisk stilled and Izuku sighed gently.  
“My parents...died.”  
“Oh! Forgive me!”  
“It’s of no fault of yours. Please see that. My father died before I was born and my mother had a stress induced stroke, about a month ago. I lived on my own, until I fell. It’s a welcome change. Especially since Frisk and Sans have been kind enough to let me stay with them, until I can afford my own house.” The man gave a delicate smile, as if to say he was glad that the death of the boy’s mother wasn’t looming over him.

When he and Frisk returned to Snowdin, Izuku thanked her for the tour and they parted ways until later. He looked around the town, finally noticing the Help Wanted sign in the window of the Librarby. He opened the door and walked to the counter.  
“Hello. I couldn’t help but notice the sign in the window.” The lizard looked up and through his glasses.  
“You’re looking for a job?”  
“Yes. I’m Izuku.”  
“Ian. Are you good at organization?” He nodded.  
“Yes.”  
“You got the job. Honestly, your hours are whenever you can come and help. Pay is 150G a shelf.” Green eyes went wide.  
“That’s a hefty paycheck.”  
“We don’t get a lot of people in here that can organize and not get distracted by the books, themselves.” Izuku nodded.  
“I can start now, if you need help?” Ian checked the time.  
“Nah. I’m about to close up for the day.” The teen gave an understanding look and left his number with the lizard, just in case. As he stepped back into the snow, Izuku checked his watch. It was around four, on the surface. He made his way back towards Frisk and Sans’ house, which was next door. He knocked and Frisk came to greet him.  
“Did you get done what you wanted?”  
“Yes. I have a very flexible job at the library, now.” She nodded and let him in. 

The house was warm and cozy, painted, primarily, in maroons and blues.  
“Dinner will be ready soon, so I can show you your room.” He followed her up the stairs.  
“We cleaned up Papyrus’ old room for you. The other one is Sans’ and mine.” The walls and carpet were the same as the rest of the house, a bookshelf at one wall, nestled up against the doorframe to the closet. The bed was on the wall that faced the inside of the house and there was a table next to it, while a computer desk sat at the window on the back wall. He took in a deep breath.  
“Thank you. You both have been very kind to me.”  
“You’re very welcome.” She left to let him get comfortable and to go check on dinner. Izuku sat on his new bed and buried his face in his hands. How did it end up like this? Yesterday, he was throwing himself into a plummet that was supposed to kill him. And...And now he had entered a new life...A place where he wasn’t sure what to think about his situation. Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out the thirteen notebooks he had taken with him. Placing them down, he flipped open the first one to the very first page. It was a crudely drawn picture of a man with blonde hair, wearing a spandex suit. He gripped the page so tight in his hands that it crinkled a little at the edges. He took a deep breath and let go, closing it up again. Picking up another journal, he opened it, finding it filled with equations. Exponential functions to Uniform Circular Motion equations, chemistry, and other problems. Looking them over he set them next to him and drew his pack onto his lap. He removed a small tool kit and unrolled it, pulling out a phillip’s head, as he held something round in his hand, starting to tinker with it.

It was an hour later that Frisk came back up and knocked on the door, politely.  
“Dinner’s ready, Izuku.”  
“Ah. I’ll be down in a moment.” He heard her walk away and set his project down in his backpack again, placing the whole thing at the foot of his bed. He stood and opened the door, making his way downstairs. When he got there, he found Sans walking in and taking off a white lab coat. A black shirt was under it, as he yawned and kicked his shoes off, replacing them with pink slippers, which were right under the coat rack. Before continuing forwards, he removed an ID badge from around his neck and hung it with his coat. That was when he saw the other human in the house.  
“Hey, Kid.” Izuku waved a bit, as he turned to walk into the kitchen.  
“Would you like some help?” She looked a little flustered.  
“That would be great. Thank you.” He shrugged nonchalantly and helped carry the pot to the table, while she brought the plates and silverware. Both adults noticed how easily he carried the heavy cooking vessel, weighed down with food. Sans was the one to comment on it.  
“Wow...You’re strong.”  
“Well...From where I come from, I’m actually just a little stronger than the average person.”  
“How so?”  
“Uh...Well...My max lifting strength is roughly 100 kilograms or 220.5 pounds, but that’s at my absolute maximum. The average person with a strength quirk can lift about 160 kilos, which is around...353-ish pounds. But, the number one hero...I haven’t been able to figure out his exact strength, but I know it’s in the tons. He’s able to lift cars with one hand and throw giant villains clear out of a city. If I were to approximate, I’d say that, in his prime, he was maybe able to lift around 15 tons.” Sans nearly choked on his ketchup...When did he get that?

He cleared his throat of the drink.  
“Holy shit…” Izuku shrugged.  
“Not much of a big deal.” Frisk was shell-shocked.  
“Not a big deal? When I was a child, the average person couldn’t lift more than 30 pounds!” She got another shrug of his shoulders, as he finished helping her. He filled a glass with tap water and took a seat at the table. They joined him and Frisk served dinner, which was bowtie pasta. There was a choice of alfredo and tomato sauce on the side.  
“Thank you.” He took a bite and did the stereotypical freeze, before breaking free a split second later. As he stared at his food, he found fractals and sine curves filling his mind. Chemicals and compounds swam through his thought. He squeezed his eyes closed a bit and, when they opened again, the numbers and equations disappeared.  
“Something wrong, Kid?” He looked up at Sans.  
“Oh. No. Thank you, though. Just...My brain works in scientific and mathematical equations. It gets a little annoying that I have to concentrate to turn it off, sometimes.” The skeleton looked intrigued.  
“Not to toot my own horn, but I work alongside Alphys, the royal scientist. I’m sure I’d love to hear how your thought process works.” Izuku chuckled gently, as he took another bite of his food. When he swallowed, he glanced up again.  
“So...You’re a scientist?” Frisk gave a little laugh.  
“Like father like son, right, Sans?” He looked at her with a lift of his brow bone.  
“I told him about your dad…” She caught Izuku’s minute nod. She could tell him what happened earlier.  
“When we were on our tour, we needed to pass through the CORE to get to Dad’s. Izuku said that he felt someone...He leaned on the rail and looked into the CORE’s basin and said that there was someone there.” The skeleton looked shocked.  
“You could feel something?” The greenette shrugged and took a sip of water.  
“It was something like a gut feeling, but it was more in my soul than butterflies in the stomach. I’m not sure what it means…” Sans looked to be thinking.  
“Me neither, Kid…” They returned to eating and idle chit chat, until they were done. Izuku helped clean up, even when Frisk said he didn’t have to, and retired to the living room with them.

He remembered something and excused himself for a moment. He returned with his backpack and sat at the table again, pulling his project from his bag. He set the contraption on the tabletop and pulled out his notes, knowing he had eyes on him. The skeleton was watching as this kid put a journal on the table. Those eyes went wide, as Izuku opened the notebook and then unfolded another flap on the page, making it four times the size of a normal page. Coming closer, he found a huge equation on it, three fourths of the way done. The greenette pulled out a pen and jotted down more sections of the problem’s solution process, while muttering under his breath.  
“Carry the two...Multiply the frictional force to the circular motion...Divide by nine…” He capped his pen and skimmed over it once more, before folding the paper again and turning the page a couple times. He came to a page that had some diagrams on them.  
“Ok...so...this goes there and…” He took a small wrench and cranked down some bolts, before setting it down and screwing in some hexagon screws. He opened a panel in the side and shuffled through his items again, drawing out a 9 volt battery, encased, on five sides, in a plastic holder. He set it on the table and reached into the panel again, pulling two wires out a bit, one with a white rubber sheathing and the other with green. He put one end on either side of the battery and tinkered with something inside the machine, which Sans couldn’t see. There was a small spark inside the device. Barely enough to notice from where he was sitting. The panel was closed and the battery put to the side again. Finally, his curiosity got the better of him.  
“What’cha makin’, Kid?” Green irises flicked up.  
“Oh. I’m making a multi-directional moving robot...well...not really a robot, but...You could call it a toy.” Izuku pulled out something small, which looked like a remote, and opened the back, sticking the battery inside. It took up about half of the remote’s interior, as the back cover was snapped into place. The top of the remote looked a little like a small video game controller, complete with a joystick and buttons. He pressed a button on the side and the light lit green for both the remote and the orb. 

Carefully, he pushed on the stick and the bot sprang to life, rolling down the table a little. He made it do a circle and then a complicated set of loops to show that it truly was all directional. A touch of a smile came to his lips.  
“The motors and axises are working properly...Now, just need to add the fibers.”  
“Fibers?”  
“Oh. I was thinking of adding filament-like appendages to it, so that it can climb vertical surfaces.” Stars seemed to shoot to the man’s eyes.  
“Cool…” A sheepish laugh came from the teenager, before Sans glanced to the journal.  
“May I see your notes? I caught a glimpse of the big equation, but not all of it.”  
“Oh, sure.” As soon as he handed the skeleton the book, he noticed Frisk motion for him to follow her.  
“Ah. Excuse me a moment.” He got a nod and got up, making his way to a room on the other side of the house.  
“Mrs. Frisk?-”  
“Just Frisk, please.”  
“Frisk? Is something wrong?” She looked concerned.  
“Did...Did you leave your shoes at the edge of the hole yesterday?” He understood and nodded.  
“I did. It’s...the hallmark of a suicide jumper, after all.”  
“I...didn’t notice you were practically barefoot all day, today...You were able to walk through snow and on Hotland’s scorching ground…” He shrugged.  
“Tough skin.” She pat him on the shoulder.  
“I can take you clothes shopping, tomorrow, so you don’t have to stay in those clothes all the time...like I did when I fell…”  
“You don’t-”  
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.”  
“I...Thank you.”

When he returned to the table, he found the skeleton flipping back to another page, earlier in the journal. One he concentrated on, his pupils missing from his sockets. As if he were reliving a bad memory. His voice was soft and a touch strained.  
“Kid...Why do you have so many formulas for explosives in here?”  
“Oh. I was trying to recreate the quirk of an ex-friend, but on a smaller level. I wanted to go into either the Hero Class or the Support Class at the local hero school, before I...uh...fell.”  
“What was his quirk?”  
“He sweats nitroglycerin and has the ability to detonate explosions from his hands and feet at will.” Sans gained a bit of sweat at his temple.  
“What a powerful ability…”  
“Indeed.”  
“Would you mind if I took some pictures of your notes? I’m sure Alphys would love to see them, once she’s feeling better.” Izuku, honestly, was surprised that he wanted to.  
“Sure. Go ahead.” He pulled his phone out and snapped a picture of each page, the teen holding the large one out for him to get a good shot of. When he was done, he packed his things up and bid them a good night, before going up the stairs. He left the couple to stew in their new thoughts and to not even realize that Sans hadn’t made a pun since dinner.

As he lay in bed, he threw an arm over his eyes. Of all the people in the world and of all the people he could have met...How did he find the kindest people imaginable? 

He didn’t deserve them.


	4. Mental Math

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some heavier shit ahead so be warned about that

It had been a month. A whole thirty days. Time had gone by pretty fast with his job, helping Frisk around the house, visiting Grillby, Toriel, and Asgore every few days on a three day schedule. Today looked like it was Toriel’s day. Wrapping his jacket close to him, he made the journey to the Ruins door, where he found Sans. Looks like it’s his day off. They waved at each other and gave twin knocks.  
“Oh? Who’s there?” Izuku nodded at the skeleton, letting him go first.  
“Dismay.”  
“Dismay, who?”  
“Dismay be a bad joke, but I think it’s funny.” Toriel giggled from behind the door, as the human knocked, this time.  
“Who’s there?”  
“Dwayne.”  
“Dwayne who?”  
“Dwayne the bath! I’m pruning!” Both the woman and the skeleton bust out laughing. The three of them continued for another hour, before Tori dragged them inside, since there was a storm brewing. Another couple hours went by before it cleared and the queen let them go again. Well...Sans went on his way back home, leaving Izuku to talk with the goat woman.  
“Hey...Tori?” She turned a little, as she sipped at her third cup of tea.  
“Yes, my child?” He looked a bit nervous, but he took a deep breath.  
“Frisk told me why you and Asgore...split. I understand how betrayal feels...I understand how you feel.” She grimaced.  
“Then you must know-”  
“I know. You’re disgusted. You feel that he should have looked for another way...He did...long before he started killing. The previous royal scientist was working on a way to create human souls, but...it always failed. Asgore was losing hope that he would be able to get everyone out of here. I know this isn’t what you want to hear...me taking his side, somewhat,...but you need to know that he has the weight of the deaths of six children crushing down on his mind. He tries not to show it, but...you leaving him made his depression grow. When he thinks Frisk and I aren’t looking, he pours whiskey into his tea. We...We’re worried...for you both.”

Burgundy eyes looked up, stunned.  
“He’s...falling back into his alcoholism again?” Sad green eyes closed, as he nodded his head.  
“The last time this happened was when…” He knew what she was about to say and put his hands on her shoulders.  
“I know this is a hard subject for you. I’m not asking you to instantly forgive him, but...maybe you could try to talk to him again, beyond the rare get together. All you would need to do is have tea with him. That’s all.”  
“I...I’m not sure if I can…”  
“You don’t need to do it right now. Only when you feel you can give him a shot or two.” He rounded to her front and smiled at her from where she could see him. Seeing his face, she ran her hand through his hair.  
“I...I think I can try...Like you said...maybe not now, but some time in the future.” He gave her a content smile. That was all he asked. Then, she held his hands in hers.  
“What did you mean when you said that you understand?”  
“I...had a friend on the surface...well...I thought he was my friend. I was so delusioned, for ten years, that he was my friend. We met when we were three and, as soon as we turned four, he unlocked his quirk...and I didn’t. He treated me like dirt. Bullied me. Called me names. Injured me. I was the opposite of you. I gave way too many chances. He...was actually the reason I was on that hike that day.”  
“What?” He looked hesitant, but calmed himself down.  
“The day I fell down here, I was getting out of my middle school, second year, classes, when he cornered me with his posse. He singed some of my hair and one of my notebooks, before screaming at me. Telling me to give up my dreams of being a hero...That _dekus_ can’t save anyone. The last thing he said made me need to clear my head.” She tightened her grip a smidge.  
“Izuku…” Tears bubbled over his bottom lids.  
“H-He told me that if I really wanted a quirk and to be a hero...that I should just take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a quirk in my next life…” Her eyes blew wide, in horror and shock. She pulled him against her bosom and wrapped her arms around him, her sleeves nearly engulfing his torso. He did, indeed, cry, but he made no sound, as he did so. And it worried Toriel. The only sound he made was a single sniff, as he reached up to try and dry his eyes.  
“What a horrible child, that boy was to you…You don’t need some fancy powers to be worth something to us. You just need to be Izuku. That’s all we need.” His voice was soft, as he responded to her.  
“Thank you…”

When he stepped back, he found her with a conflicted look on her face.  
“Izuku...I think I pieced together what happened the day you came to us. You tell us you were on a hike, but...I noticed your lack of shoes and your blunt attitude about death. It wasn’t until now that everything came together. Izuku...Did...Did you jump?” Green eyes hazed over, before closing.  
“Yes.”  
“Who knows?”  
“You, Frisk, and Flowey. Pretty sure Flowey found out, since he was the one to find me that day. Frisk found the note I had with me, in case someone scaled down to retrieve my body.” He couldn’t tell her the real way the human woman found out. It would destroy her. Not to mention he had promised to not tell anyone.  
“What my ex-friend had said wasn’t even the final straw. I had no one. My parents were dead and I had no friends. I was pushed around for my lack of a quirk and none of the teachers even cared that I was being bullied.”  
“Then...What was the final straw?” He sighed.  
“I...was in a villain attack. I was almost a skinsuit for a man made of slime, but the Number One Hero saved me. I got caught up in his attempt to leave and, finally, asked him the big question. Can someone be a hero, even if they don’t have a quirk? He said no and, at that moment, I knew that my struggles to make myself stronger were for naught. I had zero chance of doing anything with my life. Quirkless people tend to either become homeless or off themselves early in life. People without quirks have a hard time finding jobs. We’re treated as lesser and not worth people’s time. For a short period of time, in the past, quirkless people were charged more for goods and paid less at jobs that paid quirked people more. It...was like the time of segregation, all over again. I...I thought that...maybe...just maybe...I would be reborn as someone better...and if reincarnation wasn’t a thing, then...maybe I could be with my parents again.” The tears spilled over his cheeks, streams of liquid crystal down his face. They were hat against his skin, as he felt his knees buckle and send him to the floor.

Toriel was right next to him, holding his head to her collar again, as he damn near clawed at the back of her robes.  
“How did I find such a welcoming and kind community, right under my feet? How...Why? I...I don’t deserve this kindness…I don’t deserve to feel like I’m home…” Small tears formed in Toriel’s eyes, as she just let him let loose. His emotions had been bottled up for far too long. Within a couple minutes, he’d exhausted himself, mentally, and was out like a light. With a pained look in her eyes, she lifted the boy and placed him on her couch. For the first time, she noticed how light he was. She moved to another room and dialed a number.  
“Tori?”  
“Hi, Sans. I wanted to let you know that Izuku’s staying with me for the rest of the day...or until he wakes up.”  
“Huh? Thought he was right on my tailbone, when I left…”  
“He needed to talk to me about something. He tired himself out and fell asleep...Looked like he hadn’t been sleeping well.” That last part was the truth. The greenette looked like he hadn’t slept in _days._  
“Oh. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll tell Frisk, if he doesn’t come home by dinner.” They bid each other a good day and hung up.

Izuku woke three hours later and was thankful for the glass of water he was offered. She gave him a bear hug and a slice of pie, before he went on his way back home. He took his jacket off and hung it up, rubbing his hands together. Frisk was watching TV and turned to give him a smile.  
“Sans is at Grillby’s, so he should be home soon, and dinner will be a little later than usual. The pot’s still going.” He nodded and sat next to her.  
“Sans called me and told me what happened earlier with you staying at Tori’s for a bit…” He knew what she was insinuating. His voice came out a touch rasped.  
“She...She knows.”  
“?”  
“She pieced things together, after I told her I knew what she was feeling towards Asgore and...I broke down. I told her what happened that day and why I…” Her bronzen eyes widened a touch, remembering what he’d told her, after a nightmare, one night. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder, leaning him against her shoulder.  
“F-Frisk?”  
“Yes?” His voice went even drier and nearly silent.  
“C...Can I...call you Mom?” She froze, making him look up and into her stunned eyes, before turning away again.  
“Uh...sorry...neverm-”  
“Yes.”  
“What?”  
“You can call me Mom, if you want.” He gave a tiny smile and wrapped his arms around her midsection.  
“Thank you...Mom.” She returned the gesture, brushing her hand over his curls, as they watched Mettaton do a dance on the screen.

It was nearing five, when Sans came home to this scene. His, near permanent, smile seemed to get a bit wider, as he laid eyes on the two. The greenette seemed to blend, seamlessly, into their lives and it was like he had always been there. Once he saw him, Izuku, slowly, got up and rounded the back of the couch.   
“Hey, Kid. Tori called and told me that you passed out at her place.”  
“Yeah. I know. Frisk told me you told her.”  
“Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. Alphys was able to look over those notes of yours, finally. And, well, let’s just say that I hope you don’t get a paper cut, when you open this.” He handed the teen an envelope, which was stamped with the seal of the royal scientist. Opening the flap, he reached in and pulled out a letter. The further down he read, the wider his eyes got. When he was finished, his voice was breathy on his lips.  
“Holy shit…” Frisk turned around, upon hearing him.  
“What is it?”  
“A...Alphys wants to offer me a j-job as a lab assistant.”  
“Woah! Would you look at that! Two scientists in the same household!” A stunned smile crossed Izuku’s face, as he read over the letter again, a whisper coming through his teeth again.  
“Would you look at that…”


	5. Accidents

His head was spinning. How had another five months gone by so fast?! Oh...right. Time flies when you’re experimenting alongside your friend and one of your hosts.

Walking along the railing, above the CORE, Izuku waved his hand and his hair tied itself back into a low ponytail. You see...He found out, about three months back, that he had magic. He was still bewildered by the fact that he came from a line of magic-users. A very long line. He was stunned to find out that his mother was, also, quirkless. She had magic, though, and passed it off as an attraction quirk. It made sense that he was quirkless, himself, now. It seemed that the mutation in one’s DNA would, usually, be blocked by their magical core, should they have one. Izuku had, still, had a 50% chance of gaining a quirk, due to his father having one, and a 5% chance of having both a quirk and magic. As he mused, while walking, he didn’t notice how close he was to the edge of the catwalk, until he tripped. He heard a voice, as he fell.  
“IZUKU!” That was Alphys. Then, he heard running footsteps, which he knew were Sans’. The molten CORE burned and seared at his flesh. It was extremely painful, seeing as he couldn’t get his vision straight, above the magma, and he didn’t dare to breathe. After what felt like forever, he felt his soul go blue and he was pulled out, back onto the catwalk. Sans was there, as both scientists knelt near him. Some of the others from inside the building were peering through the doorways on either side, hands over their mouths in horror. Blood pooled around Izuku’s body, blisters and bubbles of flesh formed across his skin. He groaned and choked in agony, as he tried not to writhe. His clothes were burned away in places and singed in others. Both Sans and Alphys were on it with the healing magic, as the human’s body, subconsciously, did the same, coating him in a green glow. Sans cried out to the others.  
“Call a doctor!” That was all he could hear, before fading out, the last thing he saw being the skeleton’s panicked face.

He woke up in the hospital. As soon as his vision cleared a little, he could see Sans sitting in a chair next to his bed. When his senses came back to fell, he felt his injuries flare up from under the bandages that covered him. He realized that one of his eyes was wrapped and that was the reason for his sight being cut in half. His whole face was covered, actually, except for his right eye and his mouth. Apparently, Sans wasn’t completely asleep. He woke to the sound of the greenette’s groaning.  
“Izuku...Thank god...We were so worried.” Carefully sitting up, he felt a bony hand on his chest, helping to ease him up. The other arm went behind his back, as soon as he started trembling. Sans held the teen to his chest, bandaged fingers gripping the front of his shirt.  
“Shh...I know. I know. It hurts…” A cracked voice came from the boy.  
“I was s-...so scared…” The man put a hand to the back of Izuku’s hair.  
“Me too, Kid…” He hiccuped.  
“I...I thought I was g-gonna _die_, Dad…” As soon as the skeleton stilled, the human sobered.  
“O-Oh sh...Sorry!” Bone fingers ran through the back of his hair, as he was pulled closer to Sans’ chest.  
“Nah. You’re fine, Kid. You can call me that. I already know you call Frisk ‘Mom’, when you think I’m not looking.” He heard a sniff and was able to look down, finding Izuku’s one visible eye squeezed closed.  
“Izuku?”  
“I...I’m not sure what to think anymore…”  
“Huh?”  
“Before I met you two, I wanted nothing more than to die...but…” Sans went rigid.  
“But, now...Now the thought of dying fills me with a primal fear…”  
“Izuku...you…” Bandaged fingers gripped at his shirt.  
“When I fell down here, I...I wasn’t on a hike, like I told everyone. I...I jumped. I-I wanted to paint the ground with my brain matter...I had nothing to live for, up there…” A pair of hands fell on Sans’ shoulders, making him look up and into the eyes of Toriel and Frisk. His wife took a deep breath.  
“I’m sorry. We both knew.”  
“But..Wh…H…” The brunette took a deep breath.  
“I pieced it together the day we took him in. He was barefoot and I knew the traditions in Japan. The tradition of leaving your shoes at the ledge, if you’re going to jump to your death.” His eyes seemed to widen, as Toriel sighed gently.  
“I figured it out when Izuku stayed that day and fell asleep at my house. He wanted to talk to me about Asgore and what my distance was doing to him. When he told me he understood what I was feeling, I asked what he meant. He told me about the ex-friend he had, on the surface, that bullied him, physically and mentally. But...he told me about his run-in with the top hero in Japan. The man crushed his dreams of being a hero...and it was the last straw. He exhausted himself, emotionally, that day, and it was the reason he fell asleep.”

Frisk turned the conversation in a different direction.  
“Izuku? Can you tell us what happened? Alphys told us what she saw.” He forced himself to let go of Sans.  
“I...was thinking about what had happened in the past three months, while using my magic to put my hair up. I was so lost in thought that I didn’t see the opening in the railing and I tripped. I was falling and heard Alphys scream and then I heard Dad running, before I hit the basin. Most of the rest of it is a blur of blinding pain. I vaguely remember feeling Dad pull me out by my soul and him calling for a doctor, while he and Alphys were healing me. That’s...That’s all I remember.” A furry paw-hand nestled into his hair.  
“That’s all we needed to know, my child.” The skeleton was silent until that moment.  
“It wasn’t just me and Alph. Your body was adding onto ours. It’s the reason you’re already pretty healed up. In three days, no less.” Izuku choked on his breath.  
“D-Days?!”  
“Izuku...You were in a _coma._” He slumped back against his headboard again, raising a hand to his forehead.  
“I’m so sorry...My recklessness caused you all worry…” He felt a smaller hand on his own and startled, having not seen Alphys come in.

The lizard woman pat his hand.  
“Accidents happen...I just hoped it wasn’t...wh-what ended up h-happening. S-Seeing you in so much p-pain…” She just started shivering, making him lean over and bring her into a hug.  
“I’m ok...Things will be fine…” He rubbed her back, knowing that it calmed her, due to the warmth of the friction. After a minute, she leaned back and smiled.  
“I-I’ll go get a d-doctor.” She was back in minutes, the doctor checking Izuku over. Surprisingly, he could go home, as soon as he could get up by himself and walk to the end of the hall, without help. Izuku moved the sheets and turned onto the edge of the bed. Stabilizing himself, he got up and held onto the side of the bed, as he got used to standing. Even the doctor was surprised at his determination. With careful steps, he made his way to the door and then to the hall. The doctor watched him make his way down the hall and then come back. Even without using the wall.  
“Well...That answers that question. All we need to do, now, is see how the burns are healing.” Izuku nodded.  
“My legs weren’t used to walking, so, as soon as I got used to it again, it became easier. How bad were the burns?”  
“Some of them were already healed by the time you got here, but...approximately 40% of your body was covered.” The teenager whistled.  
“Damn…” He followed the doctor into another room to be looked over again, leaving the others to themselves.

Frisk put her hands on Sans’ shoulders and leaned her forehead against his.  
“I’m sorry I kept that from you. I promised him I wouldn’t tell.” His brows furrowed.  
“I understand. But…” He took a hold of her hands.  
“I...I’ve had my suspicions for a couple hundred years. Frisk?”  
“Hm?” He ran his fingers along her wrists, under her sleeves.  
“You try to hide them with your magic, but...I’ve seen the scars. Was the reason you could tell what he’d done...because you’d done it, yourself?” He could feel her heart jump, through the artery in her arm. Her expression darkened, as she pulled her sleeves up and let her illusions drop. White lines striped up her forearms, leaving the palm side as a near layer of scar tissue.  
“Yes. I did almost exactly what Izuku did, when I fell down here. I...never wanted anyone to worry. As soon as I got settled into this society, I became like Izuku. Conflicted. The desire to die fully drained away, once I realized that I’d grown feelings for you, Sans. And believe me. I was pretty dang young, when I started having that crush.” She felt his thumb brush over some of those scars.  
“Young for a human or young for a monster?”  
“I was 14 when I started having a crush on you.” His eyes softened.  
“You...still wanted to die for _nine years_. You were only five...and you wanted to _die._”  
“You know how my home life was, Sans. Everyone does.” Toriel spoke next.  
“You and Izuku are so much alike...and so different at the same time.”  
“We’re kindred spirits.” Everyone turned back to the door, where the voice had come from. Izuku was back in his usual, casual, clothes. His arms were still wrapped and so was his face.  
“They just took the bandages off from below my ribs to just above my knees. I know what you must feel. Hurt and confused. Please understand that we kept these secrets to keep from hurting you all. We knew that if you knew, you would blame yourselves...which you’re doing right now.” 

With ginger steps, he came closer.  
“We’ve gotten better. You need to see that it’s all of you that have made us want to keep living. Hell, you made Mom want to live forever! You made us want to put those feelings behind us and look for new meaning in life. You all have cured us!” Little blue tears sprung to Sans’ eyes, as he pulled both his wife and his adopted son into a big hug, not saying a word. When he pried himself away, they all got up, clearing the room of cards and paper mache echo flowers. Izuku smiled gently, seeing as they were from Toriel’s preschool students. There was a card from all of the scientists and assistants in the lab, one from each of the households in all the regions, and one from Asgore. The king’s was a cute little drawing and handmade get well card, along with a potted golden flower. Then, he noticed something. Holding onto the wall, he glanced under the bed.  
“Flowey?” The forgotten prince looked up, seeming a little underwatered.  
“I’m...I’m glad you’re alright.” A lone green eye looked worried.  
“Were...Were you under there the whole time I was here?” He gave a soundless nod.  
“Flowey! You need water! And light! Come on.” He held a hand out and the flower gently wound around his arm.  
“I...I was there when you fell in...If only I’d been faster…” Bandages crinkled, as he felt a knuckle knocking against his forehead.  
“You know you have problems drying out near the CORE. Even if you’d been able to catch me, you would have risked burning up, yourself. Now, let’s go. You look parched.” Sans tried to give a noticeable smile.  
“Let’s get going. Pap’s been blowing my phone up.”  
“S-Same for me w-with Undyne.” Izuku took a deep breath.

“Everyone’s waiting…”


	6. Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chap this time

The next week found him away from the labs and from his other job, at the library. He stuck around the house or Grillby’s. Right now, he was letting himself bathe in the fire elemental’s warmth, arms across the counter with his head leaned on them.  
“Izuku?”  
“Hm?” He looked up, still being unable to see from his left eye, but being able to feel the wood countertop from under his unbandaged fingertips.  
“Why don’t you wear gloves? You always look cold.” He gave a sheepish smile.  
“If I wear gloves, the rest of my hands start sweating.” The man nodded and turned to take someone else’s order.  
“Grillby?”  
“?”  
“Would you like some help?”  
“!”  
“I just...feel jittery, not doing anything for a week.” The bartender tilted his head.  
“Hmm...Do you think you could help me wash dishes?” The greenette brightened up.  
“Sure.”  
“Oh and could you cand me those glasses on the bottom shelf?” Izuku nodded and crouched down, pulling the glassware from said shelf, just as the door opened.

“Hey, Grillbs.” It was Sans. Izuku poked his head over the counter.  
“Yo.” The skeleton blinked.  
“So...What’re ya doing down there?” Izuku could hear the insinuation in the man’s voice and deadpanned.  
“Really, Dad?” He stood to full height again and put the seven glasses on the counter.  
“Dad?” Grillby looked startled.  
“Right. I ended up calling him that when I woke up from my coma.” Sans laughed.  
“Yeah. Really startled me outta my bones. I already knew you’d call Frisk ‘Mom’ when you thought I wouldn’t notice.” The teen went a little nervous.  
“Yeah...I didn’t want you to feel left out, seeing how you and Frisk are with kids.” The skeleton pat his head.  
“No problem, Kiddo. It was our decision to not have kids. So, what were you doing back there?”  
“Grillby asked me to grab some glasses from the bottom shelf, when I asked him if he needed help.”  
“Ya getting antsy?”  
“Yeah.” He moved to the sink, which was off to the side and started washing dishes.  
“I was getting anxious not doing anything for a week.” He was done with the dishes in mere minutes, making the elemental smile a little.  
“You’re fast. That usually takes me twice as long.” Izuku scratched the back of his head and blushed at the praise.  
“I, uh, had to learn to do it fast...due to my situation on the surface.”  
“Thank you for the help. Here.” He disappeared into the back and came back with a familiar mug, which made the human smile. The hot chocolate mug he’d been given the first time he came here.  
“Thanks, Grillby.” As he took a sip, he missed the color change at the middle of the fire man’s face.

After a little bit, the two went home again. As soon as they hung their jackets up, Izuku felt Sans elbow him.  
“Hm?”  
“You have a crush on Grillby~” He stared at his father-figure.  
“What?”  
“C’mon. It’s obvious you like him.” Izuku rolled his eyes and shook his head with a smile.  
“You aren’t denying it!”  
“Because it isn’t worth it. You’ll find a reason for it to be true, even when it’s not.” Frisk came out of the kitchen.  
“What’s happening?”  
“Dad is delusional.”  
“?” Sans rolled his eyes with a laugh.  
“Izuku doesn’t want to admit that he has a crush on Grillbs.” Green eyes deadpanned at him.  
“You’re imagining things, Dad.” When the teen turned to help Frisk set the table, Sans used his magic to make a heart with a G and an I appear in the air. The human woman giggled, making Izuku sigh and throw his hand back, a pair of scissors, made of lavender magic, cut through the heart, making them both disappear in whisps.  
“Aw c’mon, Kiddo. It’s pretty obvious.” Frisk poked Izuku’s cheeks.  
“You’re going pink…” He rolled his eyes, shook his head, and gently pushed her hands away, continuing to help set up the table. The couple looked at each other, a little concerned about the sadness in their adopted son’s eyes.

The next day found Izuku in Waterfall. He spent his time staring at the glowing blue water, zoning out of the world and into his mind. His hand brushed the bandaging over his eye, before he gripped at his hair and let himself fall to sit on his calves for a moment. A soft crackle let him know he wasn’t alone and the warmth let him know who it was.  
“Huh? Grillby?” The elemental knelt on one knee, his umbrella closed and hooked on his arm, for when he got to the rainy part of Waterfall.  
“Are you alright?”  
“Yeah...just...I come here to think.” The bartender tipped his head.  
“May I ask what you’re thinking about?” Izuku sighed.  
“My past...The Surface...I’m just trying to think through things.” A warm hand touched his shoulder, making a single green eye look up. Even if he couldn’t see past the man’s glasses, Izuku could see the understanding and patient look on his face. It made something break behind his irises, even if one was covered. He squeezed his eye shut, as streaks of crystal flooded down his face. The elemental shifted onto both knees and brought the boy in for a hug. The human’s voice was quiet and shivering, as if he hadn’t meant for the man to hear him.  
“I’ve been told that I don’t deserve to be happy...I...I don’t understand…” Grillby held him closer, voice barely a candle flame on his tongue.  
“You deserve everything.” The greenette’s forehead was against the man’s chest, as his hand came up to the boy’s curls. The older lifted the teen into his arms and walked back the way he came. He knocked on the door of the home at the end of Snowdin Town. Izuku’s home. Frisk opened the door, finding Izuku in Grillby’s arms.  
“He fell asleep in Waterfall.” Sans came around the corner.  
“You seem sad, Grillbs.”  
“He...mumbled, while he was crying...He said that...that he’s been told that he doesn’t deserve to be happy…” Both of the boy’s guardians startled, as Frisk took the teen into her arms. What kind of person would say such a thing to such a kind person? Grillby nodded and backed into the snow again, so that he could get home, leaving the couple with their child. He was their child. And he deserved **everything.**


	7. Better Better Yet Better

As he stood in the lab, finally out of his bandages, he brushed his fingers over the slightly melted flesh over his eye. A sigh left his mouth, as he went to grab a beaker, so he could mix it with another chemical. Then, he felt a flash of magic in his eye sockets. Looking down to his hands, he heard a voice in his head.  
_”Who ARE you? And how did you find me?”_ He couldn’t speak.  
_”Ah...It seems as you aren’t truly here with me...though your soul is.”_ Izuku wheezed to get his voice out of his lungs.  
“What...Who are you?”  
_”Hm? I believe it’s customary to give your own name, first.”_  
“I...Izuku.”  
_”My name is W. D. Gaster, young one.”_ The greenette’s eyes widened.  
“You’re...Dad and Papyrus’ dad…” The voice turned surprised and curious.  
_”You are my son’s child?”_  
“H...He and his wife adopted me, wh..when I fell…”  
_”Hmm...The connection isn’t good for your body, like this. As long as your spectral form stays here, I believe I’ll be able to contact you.”_  
“Wait. Where is ‘here’?” He could practically hear the man’s smirk.  
_”In the CORE of course...Only dropped into an alternate dimension, where everything is the same, but there are no monsters. I’ll be talking with you another time, Izuku…”_ And he was gone.

When the connection was severed, he felt the pressure leave his head.  
“Holy shit…” He turned to the adjacent room and rushed through three more doors, skidding behind Sans, who was just taking off his goggles.  
“DAD!” The skeleton jumped.  
“Shit, Izuku! Ya startled m...e? What’s wrong?” The teenager looked shaken.  
“You’re gonna think I’m batshit crazy-”  
“What’s wrong?”  
“I...I heard your dad.”  
“What?”  
“He spoke to me. In my head. He said that he was in the CORE. In a dimension where he’s alone. He said that he could interact with my ‘spectral form’ that was there with him. He said that my mind couldn’t handle supporting him communicating with me. Please! Please believe me!” Sans sat him down in a chair.  
“I...don’t know how to respond to something like that. The only way I can tell you didn’t hallucinate that was...your eyes.”  
“My eyes?” He was handed a piece of metal, letting him see that the eye that was surrounded by burnt skin was black with a white ring in it. Above his right eye were purple cracks and below his left were the same, only ending at his top lip.  
“What the…”  
“Your eye and those cracks are exactly like his were, only both of his eyes were like your right and the cracks were in his skull. The purple is the color of his magic.” Izuku looked at his hands, freezing, when there were purple circles on his palms. Sans looked down and saw the same thing, putting his hand to the back of the greenette’s. The markings were just on the surface, but were on both sides.  
**“This is weird…”** Sans stopped and stared at him.  
“How are you…”  
**”What?”**  
“You’re speaking in our language. The language Dad, Pap, and me use.”  
**”I...I am?”**  
“You are.” Focusing, he switched back to English, rubbing at his throat. The eye and cracks went away, letting him blink and squeeze his eyes shut with a groan.  
“That was weird.”  
“Yeah…”

Months of work went by. His sixteenth birthday. Christmas. New Year. 

While working in the lab, he closed his eyes and pulled on the feeling of goo and ice.  
_”Izuku? What are you doing?”_ He didn’t get a response, as he felt...warm...and…_stable?_ After a few minutes, Izuku fell to his knees, panting. In front of him was a mass that was stabilizing. When it finished, a man was formed. He was a skeleton with a droopy right eye and cracks on his face. He wore a black turtleneck and had holes in his hands, as he stared at Izuku with black eyes that had white rings in them. Izuku felt his head spin.  
“You’re back…” The man started signing.  
“And stable, too.” The human nearly faceplanted, had it not been for the blue magic that caught his soul and lifted him over and into Gaster’s arms.  
“Thank you, Izuku.”  
“No problem...I think I exhausted my magic, though.” Gaster chuckled.  
“I can take you back to Sans.” He was directed to the secondary lab, just as Alphys turned around. She dropped the, luckily, empty flask in her hand. The shattering glass made the shorter skeleton glance at her, finding her mouth open and her eyes wide with shock, glinting, as if a memory had come back to her.  
“Alph?” Then, he heard a familiar chuckle, a distinct language coming from the person’s mouth. He saw signing hands in his mind’s eye to accompany it.  
**”You’ve grown into a fine young lady, Dr. Alphys.”**

Sans stopped what he was doing and turned around, shock in his features. As soon as he saw the face of the man, he hadn’t seen in over one and a half thousand years, he felt his throat go dry.  
“D...Dad?” He saw Izuku in Gaster’s arms, as his magic hands signed for him.  
“Hello, Sans. It’s been a very long time.” As soon as he set Izuku down, Sans ran at his father, who crouched down to meet his son in a big hug, both in tears and with smiles on their faces. Alphys sat down and held her head, a whisper on her lips.  
“S...Sensei…” She felt a hand on her other one.  
“It’s ok, Alphys. When he fell into the CORE, he ceased to exist, thus wiping everyone’s memory of him. Well...except Sans and Flowey, seeing as one had a direct magical tie to him and the other is more of an anomaly. Even Papyrus didn’t remember, because he was so young when it all happened.” She noticed his state.  
“A-Are you alright?”  
“Yeah. Just magic exhaustion. I’ll be fine, as soon as I get some rest. But, I need to make sure Gaster’s actually stable, before I can do that.” He waved over to the skeletons.  
“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to make sure your soul’s stable, Gaster!” The taller nodded and came closer, while still holding onto Sans, and produced his soul, passing it over to the teen. The boy looked it over and used CHECK on it to see the man’s stats. He nearly fell off his chair, seeing how much HP the man had, but that had to have been from the war, two thousand years ago.  
“Your soul looks like it still needs time to stabilize, but should do so in..a week? Just try not to use too many strenuous magical tasks. Blue magic should be fine, since you don’t need to use much concentration for it. Just don’t overdo it. I’m not sure how your soul would react to teleporting, so I would stay away from that for now.” Gaster nodded and let his soul integrate back in with his magic, chuckling at his son.  
“So...When do I get to meet my daughter-in-law?” Sans let out a startled laugh, as Alphys followed.  
“I th-think it’s ok if we take the rest of the day off…” Gaster smiled at her, making her go a little pink.  
“I-I want to introduce you to m-my wife, too.” He looked a little surprised, before nodding.

Izuku was ok to walk, when they left, leaving a handful of others in charge for now. They made their way backwards, going to Papyrus and Mettaton’s house first. Izuku knocked and Mettaton answered.  
“Hello, Darling!”  
“Hi, Mettaton.” Sans laughed a little.  
“Mettaton. Meet my and Pap’s dad. Dad, this is Mettaton. Pap’s husband.”   
“Husband?” The robot went a little embarrassed, before calling into the house.  
“Papy, Darling!” They heard a ‘Nyeh?’ from the next room.  
“IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG?” Mettaton moved out of the way, letting the taller brother blink at the sight of Gaster, before the pieces fell into place and he ran full pelt at the man.  
“DAD!” Not one to be caught off guard too often, the oldest skeleton caught his youngest son.  
“You got big, my son.” There were more tears, as Sans tipped his head.  
“I’m surprised you remember him, Pap. You were...young.”  
“OF COURSE I REMEMBER! HE’S OUR DAD!”   
“We’re taking him around to everyone, showing them he’s back.” Papyrus smiled wide.  
“THEN UNDYNE’S IS YOUR NEXT STOP!” Gaster blinked.  
“Undyne? About yea high? Blue skin with fins and gills? Red hair?” Izuku nodded.  
“Yes, only she’s as tall or taller than Pap, now.”   
“AND CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD!” He looked pleasantly surprised.  
“I look forward to seeing her again.”

They came to a fish shaped house, where Sans was the one to knock, this time. The red head opened the door, looking like she just woke up from a nap.  
“Uh? Alphy? Shouldn’t ya be at work?” The lizard gave a bright smile.  
“L-Look behind me.” As soon as the woman noticed Gaster, she was instantly awake, rubbing at her eyes.  
“D...Dr. Gaster?”  
“Hello, my dear.” Her face fins drooped on her face, as she lost the hard, bad bitch, look on her face. Her face looked more like a child’s, as she stepped out and hugged the man.  
“Where did you go? And why are my memories just coming back?”  
“I fell into the CORE and ceased to exist on this plane.”  
“How did you come back?” The man gave a little smile.  
“Izuku saved me.” The woman turned to the teenager.  
“How did you…”  
“I’m not sure. I think it had something to do with my...accident, about eight months ago.” Her eye widened.  
“Maybe…” Gaster blinked.  
“Accident?”  
“I’ll explain after we’re finished letting everyone know you’re alive.” He nodded and put a hand to her face, thumb brushing her eye patch.  
“One of the fallen humans took out my eye, before I...killed them.” The skeleton nodded in understanding, before he was ferried away into his old home town. Snowdin. He smiled at the nostalgia and sounds rushing back to him.  
“This is where me and Izuku live with my wife.” He opened the door.  
“Frisk?” The brunette came around the corner.  
“You’re home early, Sans.”  
“Well...I’ve got someone you should meet.” He waved the others in and brown eyes went wide. She dropped the towel in her hands at the same time that Gaster’s eyes went wide.  
“Sans?” He glanced back to his father and then to his wife.  
“Dad...This is my wife, Frisk. Frisk, my dad...W.D. Gaster.” She came closer, giving a small bow.  
“You’re...human?”  
“Yes.”  
“Izuku told me he was the first human to fall in a thousand years...How are you…” She looked sheepish.  
“I fell a thousand years ago...Being here so long gave me a core and immortality to time.”   
“I see…”  
“Please come in. I’ll ask Mom and Dad to come over...Oh. I mean the King and Queen.” Gaster stepped inside, along with Alphys and Undyne, Sans and Izuku bringing up the tail end. The eldest skeleton sighed and smiled at the house. His memories were probably coming back strong. Frisk was already on the phone and Sans had teleported away. He came back with a, slightly disoriented, fire elemental, just as his wife got off the phone. Grillby looked dazed.  
“Sans…” He saw the skeleton point behind him and turned, face going slack. Gaster smiled gently and waved.  
“Hello, my friend.” The shorter practically launched himself at the scientist, who hugged him tight. Izuku rose a brow at Sans.  
“Grillbs grew up with me an’ Pap. Dad was like his dad, too.” Green eyes widened in understanding, before nodding. There was a knock at the door and Frisk answered it, showing Toriel and Asgore. She brought them in and they both stalled, upon seeing the ex-scientist. Asgore felt his throat go dry.

“Dr. Gaster?”


	8. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pretty short this time sorry

The skeleton gave a small bow.  
“Greetings, Asgore.” The goat man almost barreled into him, as Toriel came from the other side, surrounding the shorter in fur. Both of them squeezed Gaster tightly, making him laugh a little and sigh.  
“How did you get here, my child?” Toriel’s motherly tone wasn’t lost on the others. Izuku smiled gently, knowing that the king and queen had taken the skeleton in, when his own parents had died. The goat monsters, finally, let him go, letting him come face to face with Flowey, who was in a pot on the table. He turned his face away, as if he couldn’t bare keeping the eye contact. White pupils turned purple, as the scientist slipped closer.  
“Asriel?” That made the king and queen start, hearing the name of the son that had died those millennia ago. Flowey squeezed his eyes shut a moment, before turning his head up again, a tired smile across his face.  
“H...Hello...Dr. Gaster…” Bone fingers brushed buttercup petals.  
“What happened, my boy?” Alphys walked over and bowed her head.  
“Me...I...I happened.”  
“What?”  
“I tried to synthesize an artificial soul, b-but I...I took from the flowers at th-the start of the Ruins. When...Asriel formed...since h-his dust was still in the flowers, h-he formed with all his memories, b-but...without a s-soul.” Gaster turned to Flowey.  
“How are you even alive?”  
“Since I don’t have a soul, I was able to use human DETERMINATION...until Frisk fell, as a child.” Toriel took a step towards them.  
“Asriel?” The flower’s petals drooped, as if in guilt, his voice almost nonexistent.  
“Mom…”  
“How do I know you’re…”  
“Remember my fifth birthday? I got snail pie all over me...I mean _all_ over me.” Toriel and Asgore stared at him, knowing that no one else had been there at that time. As they both freaked out, having seen him all this time, they turned to Frisk.  
“Did you know?”  
“Yes.” Sans sighed.  
“I did too.” Izuku nodded. Asriel waved his leaves.  
“Don’t be mad at them! I asked them to not tell anyone…”  
“But-”  
“I was ashamed, alright? I’ve done so much bad. I...wanted you to remember me as I was, just over two thousand years ago...not as the demon I’ve become-” Izuku came over and flicked his forehead.

Flowey made a startled sound.  
“Hey!”  
“You aren’t a demon. You’ve been missing 90% of your emotions for the past 2.5 thousand years. That’s bound to make anyone nutty.” Izuku turned to the leaders of the Underground, happy they’d finally reconciled, and explained how Gaster was there. The queen smiled gently at him.  
“You humans have always been such miracles.” Gaster blinked and turned to the teen.  
“You said something about an accident, Izuku.”  
“Ah…” He scratched the back of his green hair, nervously, letting the skeleton’s eyes run over the melted and burned scars across his flesh.  
“Do the scars have to do with it?”  
“Yes...I...did the same thing you did.” The scientist’s eyes went wide and he couldn’t stop himself from speaking, while signing at the same time.  
_**”You fell into the CORE?!”**_ His white pupils met piercing green.  
**”Yes.”**  
“How did you survive?”  
“Dad saved my life.” Sans looked away, looking a little embarrassed.  
“40% of my body is covered in scarring. My own clumsiness almost got me killed...and...I’m still not sure how to feel about surviving.” His voice went soft for the last part, making Grillby walk over and wrap his arms around the teen’s collar from behind.  
“Thanks, Grillbs.” Something came to his mind.  
“Hey...Flowey?” The flower looked up.  
“Why...did you never take one of the souls? I mean...you could be with your family again.” The prince stared at him, before looking down.

He sighed.  
“I...thought I’d be betraying Frisk, seeing as...those timelines exist.” Izuku nodded, as the other human walked to the table.  
“We pledged to never take another human soul. We knew that, through this, the barrier would never be broken. Asriel…” He looked up, hearing his name.  
“Take one.” He looked startled.  
“But-”  
“You’ve lived this long without one. It’s time for you to feel something other than pain and anger.” She picked up the pot and Sans put his hand on her shoulder. They were gone in a blink and back in another. Frisk was holding an empty pot and a goat man stood next to them, wearing robes like Toriel. He had large horns that went almost straight back, like Toriel’s, and shoulder length cream hair, which had a tinge of blonde to them. Frisk pat his shoulder and nudged him forward.  
“Uh...Hi Mom...Dad…” Toriel practically tackled him, starting to bawl uncontrollably. Izuku stood next to Gaster, finding him smiling at the scene unfolding before them. It was nice to have the whole family back together.


	9. Stitches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this seems like it's going fast and I'm sorry for that

It was a month later that Izuku finally understood what let him bring Gaster into this world again. A quirk. He had magic AND a quirk! He found that it allowed him to pass into other planes of existence. It was different to other universes, seeing as he stayed in this one the whole time. It was more like he could drift into other state of being. Like how he was now.

Frisk jumped, as she was hugged from the front.  
“I-Izuku! Please come back to this plane!” He shifted, so that he was visible again.  
“You know it scares me when you do that!” He laughed.  
“Sorry, Mom.” He looked away and seemed to be in thought, until a hand touched his shoulder.  
“Izuku?” He blinked back to reality.  
“Oh. Sorry. I was wondering if...I could see you use your magic? I wanted to try something.” He backed up and she smiled at him, as her hand started to glow red. He took a deep breath and shifted through planes of being, until…  
“Woah...Your magic. It’s made up of weaved rune chains.” She looked interested, only have seen a glow of magic.  
“Interesting…”  
“Monster magic is different. It’s made of particles.” He came back to this plane and looked to be thinking.  
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll be in my room if you need me.” Then, he disappeared.

The next day, Izuku came rushing out of the house, dialing a number on his cell.  
**”Izuku?”**  
“Gaster. I need you to gather the others and meet me at the barrier.”  
**”What’s going on?”**  
“I think I figured out a way to free everyone.” There was a startle on the other side of the phone, as he hung up and continued to run. Through Waterfall...and Hotland, until he skidded into the castle, panting.  
“Izuku?” Green eyes shot up.  
“I think...I can break the barrier.” Dark, obsidian, eyes went wide.  
“What?”  
“I think I can free us, without the souls.” He darted into the barrier’s hall and found himself bathed in a bright white light. Before Asgore could react, Izuku started flipping through planes again, stopping when he watched the barrier turn into trillions of runes webbing and tightly knit lines, like it were a fabric, instead of just magic. There were seven seams. One for each mage that had created it. Floating himself up, he let his own magic spiral down his arms in linking, lilac, symbols. As he touched one of the seams, he directed his magic under one of the “stitches”. It undid itself. He smiled and turned back to the hall, finding everyone there.

He did a flip in the air.  
“I can free us! It’ll take a couple hours, but I can!” The others looked absolutely shocked, but decided to go back to Asgore’s to wait. The only three to stay were Sans, Gaster, and Grillby. They watched as Izuku made his way down the length of the first seam, taking approximately twenty-five minutes. When he set down on the ground, they could see that the barrier was going translucent on that side. Izuku sat on the ground and started undoing the bottom side, taking about the same amount of time.  
“Izuku. Take a break. You’ve been at it for an hour.” The greenette nodded and sat next to Sans, who was the one to call him over.  
“You’ve been working yourself to the bone.” His adopted son laughed a little and the faded bit of his coloring came back, as he shifted back to his birth plane. Gaster looked back down from gazing at the barrier.  
“You, truly, have amazing abilities, Izuku…” The teen smiled, before going back to working on the barrier.

It took him roughly three hours.

He was halfway down the last edge, when he asked the three, down at the floor, to get the others, while he was finishing up. Five minutes after the others came back in, he finished and stood back, watching the barrier start to fade and crumble before them. The wash of magic flooded by their legs, before they were hit by streams of warm sunlight. They...were _free._

Life on the surface was...different. Even to the two humans it was weird. Seeing as Frisk hadn’t seen human civilization in a thousand years and Izuku hadn’t in two years, it was understandable that the sun on their skin was a touch odd. They’d, also, found out that they were, probably, five kilometers outside Esuha City. Still in Japan. A week felt like a lifetime to the monsters that had lived so long under the ground. As Izuku stepped out of his home, he felt something off to the side of the village.   
“Izuku?” He glanced back to his mom.  
“I sense two people. A kilometer to the North East.” He walked over to that side of the village, drawing some looks at his serious expression. As he reached the North East end, he saw two figures coming his way. Stepping a few feet into the grassland, he let his whole body glow with his magic. The aura exploded behind him, covering the whole town in a shimmering, faint purple, barrier. He met the two with a steely gaze.  
“Who are you? And what do you want?” As soon as they came into focus, his posture relaxed.  
“Ah. It’s just you two. Greetings Present Mic...Midnight.” Both heroes blinked and nodded.  
“Hello.”  
“What is it that you needed?” The blonde stepped forward.  
“We were informed of a large congregation of people grouping together, out here.”  
“Ah. I see. A misunderstanding, I guess. We are not villains, I assure you. We, besides myself and my mom, are monsters.”  
“Monsters?” Izuku sighed and nodded.  
“Two thousand years ago, seven mages banished monsterkind to underground. A week ago, I used my quirk to break the barrier.” Something flickered in Midnight’s blue eyes.  
“Wait...You’re Midoriya Izuku.”  
“Yes.”  
“You’re supposed to be-”  
“Dead?”  
“Well...Yeah. We found your shoes at the edge of a hole...with the note. How are you…” Izuku scratched at the side of his neck.  
“I did jump, but the magic that soaked the very stone buffered my fall. I was found by the keeper of the ruins...Queen Toriel.” Mic started.  
“Queen?”  
“Yes.” That was when he heard his name.  
“IZUKU!” He looked back to the barrier and found Sans, Undyne, and Asgore at the force field.  
“Oh. Sorry.” He waved his hand and the magic dropped.  
“These two are heroes. Present Mic and Midnight.” Sans was right next to him.  
“When Frisk told us you sensed something…”  
“It’s ok, Dad.” That made the heroes look between them.  
“Dad?”  
“Ah. He and his wife took me in, when I fell.”

Asgore stepped forward.  
“Greetings, heroes. I am Asgore, king of us monsters.” The greenette nodded.  
“They got word of us congregating and were afraid it was a grouping of villains.”  
“Ah. I see. I can assure you that we mean no harm.” Mic looked like he understood, but Midnight seemed confused. Izuku facepalmed.  
“Asgore. Japanese.” He started and switched over to the language Izuku had taught him and some of the others.  
“Oh! I’m so sorry! My name is Asgore and I’m the king of us monsters.” The bluenette nodded.  
“Not a problem. I could pick out a few words in English, but I’m not fluent, like Mic.” The, gathered, monsters greeted the heroes, before Frisk walked over to them.  
“Izuku?”  
“Oh! Mom, these are Present Mic and Midnight. Heroes from around here.” She smiled a little and gave a respectful bow.  
“Hello, Hero-sans. I’m Frisk.”  
“You’re human?”  
“Yes. I was made fundamentally immortal due to my connection to my husband.” Sans wrapped an arm around her waist, making the two humans look curious, before turning back to Izuku.  
“You weren’t injured, when you jumped into their world, so…” He could see them staring at his scarred up face.  
“An incident that lead to me unlocking my quirk.” They nodded.  
“Alright. We can tell them what you told us you all are and we can keep in touch with you about what they say.” Izuku smiled.  
“Of course. There’s only one condition.”  
“?”  
“The only two heroes you cannot send are Endeavour and All Might.”  
“All Might?”  
“Did you see what I wrote in that note?” Both of them paled, remembering what the blonde hero had done. Mic cleared his throat.  
“Oh...Uh...You don’t have to worry about him. He retired last year.”  
“He what?” Pulling out his phone, the blonde looked up a video, showing what had happened almost a year prior. A sly, satisfied, smile crossed the boy’s scarred face.  
“Good...But that makes the current Number One Hero a complete asshole. Anyways. Would you like some tea?” Both heroes shared a smile, before politely declining and bidding them a good day.

It was later in the month that Izuku went into Esuha to get supplies for his pet projects. The news of monsters surfacing had bled across the country and, surprisingly, were welcomed without so much as a shrug. Approximately a third of quirk bearers had some kind of mutation quirk, so monsters were just like those kinds of people. It was a breath of fresh air for them to finally feel like they belonged, unlike they did over two thousand years ago. Izuku, himself, got some looks. Not because he was supposed to be dead, but because of the burn scars that covered him and smeared his skin with shallow, fleshy, wells and taut muscle fibers. He brushed his fingers over the bottom of his orbital cavity, which was halfway down his eye scar, feeling the drooped, melted, texture of the flesh below his left index and thumb, also darkened with burns. There was a cry for help down an alley. Well...it was more like a scream. Without thinking, he was at the mouth and peering in, finding a blonde woman being held off the ground by her hair. Slipping into the next plane, he made himself invisible, as he snuck against the wall. Once he got next to the villain/criminal, he started to phase into the second, reaching out to the woman. When he touched her ankle, he completed the phase, pulling her into the second plane with him, making her intangible as well. This made her hair slip from the mutation-quirked villain’s fingers. He caught her in his arms, as she fell the two feet to the ground, and snuck her back out to the street, placing her by the wall. He snapped back to their normal plane and let go of her, just as a roar came from the alley. It noticed the loss of its hostage, finally.

As the bear...shark...llama...whale-thing barreled into the street, Izuku’s arms spiraled with lavender magic, before flickering to blue. The creature’s soul was caught in a halo of blue, freezing him in place. He, then, started to fight the magic holding him. Raising his hand, he slammed the villain into the ground, before lilac chains shot from his hands and wrapped around the creature, binding his arms and neck. Suddenly, he saw tentacles tie up the criminal’s legs, sending him to the ground. As he went down, a young man could be seen on the other side, a white hooded cape thrown over his head and shoulders. Green eyes flashed with recognition, as he inclined his head a little in respect.  
“Suneater…” The hero nodded, before they both turned back to the villain, who swat his hand out, catching the bluenette across the chest. As he flew back, Izuku whipped his hand out, the man’s soul pulling to the front of his rib cage and shining blue. He came to a stop in midair, before being pulled back over. Izuku turned a touch translucent, as a trunk of an arm went through his midsection, as if he weren’t there. When Suneater was back on the ground, the greenette jumped back to avoid the fist aimed for him. He looked over, meeting deep purple with green. He made up his mind. He didn’t care that it hurt him.

Pointing his hands at the villain, its soul came back out, but green this time. He spoke for the first time since he’d said the hero’s name.  
“Go! I can’t hold him long like this!” The hero darted at the villain, seeing a bit of blood start leaking from Izuku’s nose. Once his tentacle fingers bound him again, he smacked the side of his clam shell hand into the villain’s neck, knocking him out. As soon as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious, Izuku dropped his magic, letting the green heart turn back to pale orange and back into its chest. Suneater dropped down again.  
“Are you alright?” The greenette took a deep breath and looked up, showing that he was bleeding from his nose and ears.  
“I...yeah…”  
“You’re bleeding.”  
“I know. It happens when I use that kind of magic. Too much of a strain on my mind.” Indigo eyes blinked.  
“Magic? Are you from New Home?”  
“Yeah. I live there, but I’m human.” He cracked his back, muttering profanities under his back.  
“Holy mother of fuck…” The hero bit his lip to keep in his snicker.  
“How do you have magic if you’re human?”  
“Ah. I come from a line of mages. My mother masqueraded as a quirk bearer, but had magic. I’m the 5% that has magic and a quirk. That’s how I got her out of there, if you saw that.” Violet hair nodded.  
“I see...Are you training to be a hero? You must be going to a hero school outside of Musutafu, since I didn’t see you in the first year course.” Izuku shook his head.  
“I was underground for two years, with the other monsters.” The hero’s expression went shocked.  
“Wait...You’re Midoriya Izuku. One of the ambassadors!” Izuku scratched his head.  
“Yeah. That’s me.” He pulled out some napkins from his pocket and wiped his face down. As he was cleaning his ears, Suneater cracked a little smile.  
“Why don’t I see if I can get you into UA’s second year course? You’re abilities would be very useful in heroics and you have the reflexes and strategy of a hero in the making.” Green eyes stared at him, mouth open a little, as the older lifted his head a little.

_”You can be a hero.”_


	10. Burning Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be sleeping but nahhhhhhhhhhhhh
> 
> I was too hyped

“You...think I can be a hero?”   
“Yes. Anyone can be a hero with enough training and elbow grease. Did...someone tell you you couldn’t?” Izuku sighed.  
“Yes. At least two people. I used to be quirkless.” Purple eyes widened in realization.  
“I see...May I ask if the scars…”  
“They came from the catalyst that jostled my quirk loose.” He was given another nod, as they watched the police arrive with a large enough car to transport the guy behind them. Suneater showed his license and was given the green light to carry on, after he defended Izuku’s quirk usage as self defense and the rescuing of a civilian. The younger turned to the hero.  
“Does All Might still work at UA?”  
“Not anymore. The loss of his quirk wrecked his body and he had to retire from teaching. Kamui Woods took his place.”   
“Thank hell.”  
“Hm? You don’t like All Might?”  
“He’s one of the ones that told me I couldn’t be a hero.” Suneater looked startled, so, as they walked away from the scene, Izuku explained.  
“I’m supposed to be dead. He was the final straw that pushed me to jump that day, two years ago.”  
“You what?” A wry smile crossed the teen’s scarred flesh.  
“Honestly...Maybe I should thank him, should I see him again. Without him making me feel _crushing hatred for myself_ I would never have met my family and friends.” Suneater put a hand, he hoped was comforting, on Izuku’s shoulder.  
“Ah. Sorry. That was dark. Anyways. Thanks for the save back there.” They split at a crossroads and Izuku went on to get the materials he’d come here for.

Two weeks later, he found a letter, addressed to him, in their mail. It was a confirmation of his late entry into UA. And that his late entrance exam was to be scheduled for late that month.

He showed up in a set of comfortable workout clothes. A black jacket over a dark green, skin tight, tank top and a pair of black sweats. He walked inside, meeting blonde hair.  
“Greetings again, Present Mic-san.” The radio host cracked a side smile.  
“Good to see you again, Midoriya-san.” He nodded and was sat down to take the test. As soon as he saw what was on the paper, he sighed. If this was really what they were learning, he was bound to get straight A’s. He wrote down his answers, laughing in his head. What was on here was basic Algebra and high school level science. _He used advanced physics on a daily basis._ The English portion was a breeze. He lived with a society that only spoke in English. He could see the shock on the hero’s face, when he stood up and walked over to him after twenty minutes. The man flipped through the packet, finding each question filled out. He nodded and took him to another room, where he had him stay outside.  
“He’s done.” A voice inside sounded surprised.  
“Already?”  
“Yeah. Here. You grade, while we go outside for the physical test.” There was a sound of agreement, as another person got up and stepped out behind Mic. He, also, had blonde hair, only styled in a crew cut, and black eyes. Had it not been for his muscular build, he would have looked like a cartoon character. Izuku recognized him.  
“Lemillion.” The younger blonde smiled.  
“It’s nice to be recognized. Especially since you’ve only been back on the surface for a month.” The greenette nodded, holding his hand out.  
“Midoriya Izuku.” The hero shook his hand.  
“Suneater told me about you.”  
“I take it my physical test has something to do with you? Am I fighting you?” Obsidian eyes looked impressed.  
“You have some good analytical skills, there. You’re correct. You’ll be up against me for ten minutes or until one of us is pinned for three or more seconds. There won’t be anything barred from either of us, since I’m newly out of UA, myself.”  
“That makes it even more impressive that you’ve secured the Number One spot in such a short time. Good on you for swiping the spot out from under Endeavor's nose.” The older laughed.  
“Thanks. Let’s get out to the site.”

They were situated in a small cityscape, where Izuku shed his jacket and his pants. Underneath was a pair of black shorts. All of his clothing was tight, letting them see the swimmer-marathon runner hybrid of a body he had, splattered with scars that matched the one on his face in texture. They both did their stretches, before nodding to Mic, who put his hand up.  
“And...START!” Lemillion went in for a straight attack, which was dodged, before a foot came towards his face. As if things went into slow motion, Izuku could see the shift in the blonde’s body and fixed himself to match. His foot went straight into the hero’s face, sending him back a little. His hand came up to his jaw.  
“How did you do that?” Izuku smirked.  
“Let’s just say your quirk won’t work on me.” He hopped back and forth, looking like a boxer, but with a much different upper body stance. Then, he disappeared. Lemillion looked all over for him, until an elbow dug into his kidneys. An elbow went back and was met with open air, before a fist hit his chin in an uppercut. Izuku came back into visibility, as he swung up, doing a handstand on the hero’s shoulders. He came back down with his feet to broad shoulder blades, his muscular bicep against one side of the blonde’s head, pushing him against his forearm.

Lemillion growled and phased through the ground before Izuku could shift, himself. A fist of clenched fingers caught him in the ribs, as he leapt to the side, his eyes flashing. Once the hero was in his sight, he let his hands go blue. The hero found a heart shaped construct on the exterior of his chest, turned blue. Then, he was slammed into the ground and a wall, before Izuku brought his tricep down on him in a heavy elbow drop. He could hear a rib break, along with the deep grunt the man let out. Rolling out of the way, as a calf came for his head, he let his normal magic cover him. Out of his hands came owls made of pure energy, aimed to attack with their sharp talons. Dodging and swiping at the birds, he was able to dispel them all, but not without injury. Some lines of red streaked his face and arms, which he gingerly touched with his fingers. That was when he noticed how far away Izuku had gotten from him. He was about to rush in, when the greenette’s body started to glow brighter and brighter with magic. That was when, out of his chest, an elephant came charging straight at him with a trumpeting trunk call, tusks large and curled, like a woolly mammoth. Darting to the side, he missed the brunt of the elephant’s attack, but not the swinging of its trunk, which slammed into his side and sent him flying. So he wouldn’t crash back first into one of the buildings, Izuku made his soul blue again, bringing him to the ground again, where he tackled him from the back again, those light purple chains snaking off of his body and onto the blonde’s, tightening around him like a boa constrictor.  
“That makes three! And with two minutes to spare!” 

Izuku let Lemillion go and held a hand out to him. As it was taken, a green glow surrounded the blonde. He felt his rib and cuts heal in record time.  
“Damn...You hit hard.”   
“So do you.”  
“How did you actually bypass my quirk?” The greenette smiled.  
“My quirk deals with passing into other planes of being. Yours deals with a plane that’s just off from the one that makes me truly intangible. Honestly, it was complete luck that I got it on the first try.”  
“I see...and I thought you told Suneater that using green magic puts a strain on your body.”  
“What I just used was healing magic. The other magic, I can use for short bursts. I can’t actually use a handful of types of magic, because my body can’t handle it. Teleportation is less about my body handling it and the fact that I’m human. That ability is limited to skeleton monsters. But magic like blue and orange magic any magic user can use. And even then there are different levels of those. It can get pretty complicated.”  
“What about those animals you conjured?”  
“Ah. Each human soul has a personality trait that comes through the strongest.” He brought out his own soul, in all it’s lavender glory.  
“Mine is WISDOM, which is why it’s this color. Two animals that represent wisdom are owls and elephants. A subconscious will, I believe.” Lemillion looked intrigued.  
“Interesting...If I may ask what mine is?”  
“Hm...I can try to see what it is. I’m not too good at identifying traits all that well, but I can do my best.” he brought up his CHECK option, which pulled the blonde’s soul out of his chest. It was a golden orange color, looking to be almost a literal heart of gold, which had some flecks of green in it. It made Izuku smile wistfully.  
“LOYALTY...That’s your soul trait.” A beaming grin came from the hero, who had been looking at the color, himself. He looked like he was wondering how he came to the conclusion.  
“The mix of yellow and orange mix together BRAVERY and JUSTICE to make COURAGE, while the tinge of green, or KINDNESS, turns it into LOYALTY.” He looked like he understood.  
“Amazing...How do you know all this?”  
“The seven main traits were the only ones found during the war. These were; DETERMINATION, BRAVERY, JUSTICE, KINDNESS, PATIENCE, INTEGRITY, and PERSEVERANCE. The reason mine is light purple is because it’s a mixture of PATIENCE and DETERMINATION, only washed out, due to the...circumstances that dropped me into The Underground. I came to know all this, because I brought back a man that had been there and fought during the war that damned them all.” Both blondes looked startled.  
“Who?”  
“You’d recognize his name. W.D. Gaster.”  
“The scientist?”  
“Yes. He’s approximately three and a half thousand years old.”  
“Woah…”  
“Both of his sons are just over two thousand. One of them is my dad and my mom is human. She’s a thousand and some odd years, due to her core binding to her husband’s. And no, they aren’t my biological parents...but they might as well be.” He sighed and rubbed at his chest, just below halfway down his sternum.  
“Are you…”  
“Yes. Just a touch of magic exhaustion. That elephant takes a ton of energy.”  
“Let’s go back in. You passed the physical part with flying colors. That I’m sure of. You were not only able to keep up with me, but you actually pinned me! That’s amazing!” Izuku turned sheepish, not used to the praise he was getting.

Back inside, they met in the room from before, showing that the other inhabitant was a man with long black hair and was wearing a scarf.  
“Eraser. Midoriya-san passed flawlessly. He was able to incapacitate Lemillion with two minutes left.” Grey eyes slid over to the scarred up teen.  
“Impressive. Especially since you have the brains to back up that brawn. You got a perfect score on your written test.” Both blondes jumped.  
“What?! How?!” Izuku couldn’t hold it in anymore. He started laughing.  
“Seriously! I work with quantum physics _for fun._ That was easy.”  
“Damn…” Eraserhead handed him a slip of paper.  
“Congratulations. You’re in. You start Monday, since it’s a Saturday.” He nodded in thanks and bid the three of them a good day and weekend.

Monday came around and he was nervous. Of course he would be. Not only was he entering a heroing school and late...but he knew exactly who was in his class. And boy fuck was he not going to be happy to see him.

Taking a deep breath, he waited outside homeroom 2-B. He remembered that the only reason he was even allowed to take the late test was something happening to one of the students earlier in the year. It was something non school related, but it had crippled them bad. He snapped out of his mind, as he heard the door open a touch. That was his cue.  
“We have someone entering a year late due to certain circumstances. He will be taking up the empty slot we’ve had since the beginning of the year. C’mon in.” He stepped into Mic’s classroom and stood next to him, coming to, about three inches shorter than the teacher. Before the Voice Hero could even introduce him, red eyes flashed from the last column.

_ **”DEKU!”** _


	11. Cherries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> delsdhgfskdfhbdfkjhJHGSSKGUSJHB IM SO SORRY
> 
> THIS KILLED ME CAUSE TIMELINE SHIZ
> 
> Imma be vERY SLOW at getting chaps out, I'm sorry!

Izuku sighed, knowing this was bound to happen.  
“Yes. Hello, Bakugo. Yes, I’m alive.” The greenette rubbed at his scar again, a habit that had developed over the last year or so, since the incident.  
“What the fuck are you doing here?!”  
“Obviously, I want to be a hero. I, finally, awakened my quirk, so I have the means to be one now.” The blonde’s eyes flickered.  
“How _the fuck_ did you survive that fall?!”   
“Literal magic.” Katsuki was about to rage about that, apparent, sarcasm, when a teen with blue hair and glasses cleared his throat.  
“I recognize you. Midoriya-san, correct? One of two, human, ambassadors for the monster clan?” Green eyes softened a touch.  
“Yes. You’re an Iida, correct?” He got a nod, as the others stared at him in awe. He was such an important figure to the new clan that had appeared roughly a month ago. Bakugo grit his teeth so hard, they looked like they might break under the strain.  
“Like hell, you’re that important! You have always been a deku and nothing will change that!” The classroom was silent, as Izuku’s expression dropped into the equivalent of an irritated sigh.  
_”And you wonder why I jumped.”_ The class startled.  
“Wha?!”  
“Two years ago, when I went missing, I left my shoes on the edge of a hole in the ground and jumped to what I expected to be my death. The magic that permeated the rock buffered my fall through the whole one hundred and thirteen foot, two inch, drop. I woke at the bottom, staring up at a pinprick of blue, which I figured was the sky.” The blonde sneered, but Izuku cut him off before he could open his mouth.  
“If you want to know the validity of me being here, you can ask either Present Mic-sensei, Eraserhead-sensei, Suneater-san, or _Lemillion-san._” Ruby toned eyes jerked to the teacher, whose own expression was hard, as if he were mad.  
“Midoriya took a late entrance exam, after being recommended by Suneater. He passed his written portion with full marks. His physical was to go against Lemillion, one-on-one, for ten minutes or until either of them was pinned. He pinned Lemillion in just under eight minutes. So, yes, Bakugo. He deserves to be here.” 

Mic gestured to an open seat, behind a girl with black hair, pulled into a ponytail. She smiled, kindly, at him and held her hand out.  
“Yaoyorozu Momo.” He reciprocated her gesture and shook her hand.  
“Midoriya Izuku. Please call me Izuku, Yaoyorozu-san.”  
“Momo, then.” He nodded and sat behind her, setting his backpack on the floor. The teacher sighed and motioned for them to use the rest of their free time to talk, since there was nothing else to say. A pink ball of energy popped up next to him.  
“Hi! I’m Ashido Mina! Either is fine!” She reminded him of Temmie, for some reason. And it was adorable. A boy with half red-half white hair came over, a scar over his left eye.  
“Good to see you again, Midoriya-san.” Green eyes panned over to bicolored, teal and grey, eyes, a smile stretching his lips up.  
“Likewise, Todoroki-san...Ah...right. I mean Shoto-kun.” The hard lines in the chimera’s face lessened, as the greenette changed the name he called him.  
“You know Todoroki-kun?” He nodded to Iida.  
“Yes. He was with Endeavor, when I was in Hosu for supplies. I, literally, almost crashed into him. I wasn’t paying attention and, had it not been for my quirk, we would have collided.” A girl with bobbed brown hair asked a question.  
“May I ask what your quirk is?” He nodded.  
“I used to be quirkless, until an accident triggered it into popping up. I have the ability to shift into different planes of being. It sounds weird, but I can do things like turn invisible, turn intangible, see magic as runes, see the make up of some kinds of quirks, and more.” Some of them looked surprised.  
“It’s how I was able to counter Lemillion’s permeance. Here. Someone, besides Bakugo, punch me.” They looked startled.  
“It won’t hurt me. C’mon!” His smile was infectious, making Mina nod.  
“I’ll do it.” He made sure no one was behind him and stood again.  
“Punch me.” She sent her fist at his chest, but passed right through him. When she lost her balance, he stepped back, so that her arm was out of his chest, and caught her.  
“Oof! Thanks.” He smiled and leaned her back on her feet.  
“No problem.” Then, he was gone.  
“Eh?! Where’d he go?” He touched the chest of the redhead that had said that.  
“Right here.” He came back into visibility and laughed, as Kirishima jolted.  
“Sorry.” Then, he glanced over to the invisible girl that was sat to his right.  
“Miss? What’s your name?”  
“O-Oh! I’m Hagakure Toru.” He looked sheepish, as he spoke again.  
“I hope this doesn’t come off as weird, but...You’re beautiful.” She seemed to go rigid.  
“You...can see me?”  
“When I’m in that other plane, yes.” Mina looked excited.  
“What does she look like?”  
“Um...Auburn hair and purple eyes that look like nebulas.”

Toru went silent for a moment.  
“Hey...Uh...Is it possible to change planes while touching someone?”  
“Yeah. I can take people to other planes with me as long as I have contact.”  
“Can you...make me visible?”  
“Hm...I’ve never tried bringing someone into visibility, who wasn’t originally visible to begin with. I can try though.” He went invisible and Hagakure was the only one able to see him. He held his hand out and she took it, as he shifted back to normal, slowly, just in case. Bit by bit, they both faded into visibility, making the others gasp. She looked exactly how Izuku had described her. After a few minutes, he went back into the other plane and let go of her hand, before coming back again. Some of the others stared at him with awe.  
“Woah!” Mic smiled from the front of the room.  
“Alright! The assembly will be starting soon, so let’s head on out to the courtyard.”  
“Assembly?”  
“Yeah. At the start of the year, there’s an assembly for the students that the principal issues every year. Aizawa doesn’t take his first years to it, in favor of weeding out those that don’t meet his expectations.” Filing out, they followed the blonde hero.

Izuku damn near fell asleep, standing up. When it was time to go back to classes, he couldn’t be happier. 

Kamui Woods stood at the front of the class, arms crossed, as he waited for the students to take their seats. They had a couple minutes, but he was ready. As the greenette walked through the door, the teacher nodded to him, once, in greeting, which was reciprocated.

The bell rang and Kamui straightened.  
“Good morning. Don’t get too comfortable. We’re about to go to the field for the class activity. Please get into your PE uniforms and meet me on Field C. I will be locking the room.” His voice was calm and slightly deep. He watched them get their backpacks situated and get up again to leave for the locker rooms.

A sharp gasp tore through the lungs of a few of the guys.

Izuku sighed and turned around to face them, showing that the scarring continued onto his front. Some of the guys looked uncomfortable in the sense that they looked painful. He heard a growl.  
“What the _fuck_ happened to you, Deku?!” The greenette pulled his pants over his legs with a grimace.  
“The catalyst to my quirk coming in…” Slipping a black, running, tank top on over his chest scars, he started pulling the jacket part of the uniform on.  
“But WHAT happened?!”  
“I’d...rather not talk about it.” Before the blonde could push, a piece of tape stuck over his mouth, turning his attention back to a teen with black hair and eyes.

The magic user noticed a curious pair of familiar eyes training on him. More specifically on his eye scar. Shoto, he completely understood the curiosity of. It was on the same side as the chimera’s, own, scar.

He brushed his fingers over the dips and smears in his flesh, as if out of habit. The wells were leathered and pulled and speckled. Very different to the, ice-cooled, water burn that discolored the youngest Todoroki’s face.  
“Ah...Sorry...I...uh...spaced out a moment…” He just smiled.  
“Not a problem, Shoto-san.”  
“Oh...You don’t need to use suffixes…” Izuku nodded.  
“Of course. Same for me, then.”

Out on the field, he found Kamui and the girls peering at the scars that colored his forearms. There weren’t many, but the ones that marred his hands stretched past his wrists some. To get his mind off the eyes, he reached back and pulled his hair into a, secure, low ponytail, fingers brushing the, slightly shriveled, exterior of his left ear. There were no looks of pity, thank god, but their cringing looks, as if imagining the pain, made him uncomfortable.

Kamui cleared his throat.  
“For the exercise, today, we will be sparring. Each of you against me. Five minutes. I want to see where we are on one-on-one fights.” Everyone nodded.  
“We’ll start with Ashido-san.”

While waiting for his turn, he found a redhead, hesitantly, walking over to him.  
“Is something wrong?” The slight black at the teen’s roots let him know his hair was dyed. For some reason, he looked both very outgoing but nervous, in this situation.  
“Do I make you nervous?” Black eyes snapped up.  
“Oh! Nono! I...uh...was trying to figure out how to word this without it sounding bad or...racist…” Izuku gave the redhead a moment to think, before he opened his mouth.  
“What’s living in New Home like?”  
“Ah. You want to know how living with the Monster Clan is like.” He was nodded at.  
“It’s about like living with any other tribes, clans, or civilizations. Once you learn their customs...and the way quirkiness manifests in them, you become accustomed to them.”

A purplette walked over, looking pale and extremely tired.  
“Toriel-san is the Queen, correct?”  
“Ah, yes. She was. They don’t tend to call themselves King and Queen anymore.” He nodded.  
“She teaches the class my adopted little sister attends.”  
“She really does love kids…”  
“Oh! I’m Kirishima Eijiro.” He shook the redhead’s hand, as the other introduced himself, as well.  
“Aizawa Hitoshi.”  
“Midoriya Izuku.” Shaking his hand, the name pinged a response in his head.  
“Wait...I thought Eraserhead-sensei wasn’t old enough to have kids our age?”  
“Adopted.” He gave a nod of realization, before scratching his head.  
“Me too…”  
“You’re adopted?”

He met their eyes.  
“Yeah. Um...The other ambassador, Frisk, and her husband, the scientist, Sans took me in, when I fell. Once we returned to the surface, they filed the paperwork to adopt me, legally.” Kirishima looked starry eyed.  
“Isn’t Sans Dr. Gaster’s son?!”  
“Yeah.”  
“You’re so lucky!” Two other boys came over. The one that had subdued Bakugo and a blonde.  
“Hi! I’m Kaminari Denki!”  
“I’m Sero Hanta.” He gave them both a handshake, before smiling a little.  
“Thanks for what you did in the lockers.”  
“No problem. Is...he always like that to you?” Izuku grimaced.  
“Unfortunately, yes. I’ve known him since we were three. Our moms knew each other. I used to follow him around like a lost puppy, always brushing his insults off. But, not anymore.”

Red eyes peered at him, glaring holes into his head. It made him turn his head to stare back, eyes, physically, glowing with KINDNESS magic to make his eyes seem toxic. A light tune started to fill the air, making the others feel like they could sense the plants, around them, growing. Mother Earth did that to people

As quickly as it started, the music was gone and the glow receded.

Then, he heard Kamui’s voice.

“Midoriya Izuku.”


	12. Brains and Brawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVVVE

Stepping over to the teacher, who seemed a little injured, he held up his hand.  
“Is something wrong, Midoriya-san?” His hand covered in a pale green fire, before he held his hand out to the man. Dark eyes flicked between the flames and the greenette. There was no deceit in those eyes, making him take the hand.

His insides flourished with energy and his injuries healed back over. His stamina and energy shot back up to full capacity. A light tune filled the air, as green eyes glowed even brighter than usual.  
“You healed me?”  
“Of course. It wouldn’t be a fair fight, on my end, otherwise. You’d be hopped up on adrenaline from your wounds.” The, teasing, twinkle in those eyes made Kamui give an amused sound.

They stood apart from each other, before the man started the spar.

A thick branch of wood shot for him, making him turn a little transparent. It went right through him. He whipped his hand out and a rope of lavender magic, as he moved to the side to get the branch out of him. It wrapped around Kamui’s wrist and pulled him off balance, when it was yanked. A knee cracked into the man’s ribs, making his eyes shock wide and a strangled cough come from his throat.

Everyone blinked.

They hadn’t seen the greenette move. 

Then, Kamui found a blue heart in front of his chest. Izuku’s hand was held out, as the hero was lifted from the ground and slammed back down from a couple feet in the air. He groaned and got up, finding purple, 2-D, triangles spinning, slowly, around the greenette’s hands. Lashing out, he attempted to use his branching wood limbs to bind the boy’s arms.

He was dodged again, even if his growth was usually too fast for his opponents. The triangles were thrown at him, some turning blue and some orange. 

When the orange hit him, as he braced for them and blocked his face, they did more damage than the cyan ones that did little. How peculiar. The next rain of them made him move to dodge and swerve out of the way. What was strange was that, as he moved, the cyan ones did more damage and the orange ones did little. He’d have to ask later.

Kamui didn’t have any moment to think, as a bird...an owl...came for him with its talons outstretched. As he ducked and fought the fowl off, he realized that it was made of lilac energy with fully green eyes, though the color was a bit pale.

As soon as the owl disappeared into wisps of energy, the teacher found the student knelt on one knee, as if in a runner’s starting position. His eyes were closed, as if in concentration.

The hero took this moment as an opening and sent out a long tendril from his hand...only for it to crack against something. Where he’d impacted, a spark of purple and green manifested, before fading away. A barrier. He tried again, only for green eyes to fly open wide and the ground to start tremorring. The dirt seemed to convulse and morph, as if alive...breathing…_with a heartbeat._

Something pierced through the, rolling, ground and grew at an exponential rate.

A tree.

Not just any tree, but, if Shinji’s memory served him right, a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine. 

It was massive and gnarled and looked old and weathered. But it wasn’t what had grown that had everyones’ attention. It was that the side facing the teacher had a face...The face of their new classmate.

The eyes were blank for a moment, before cracks, filling with a light purple, sap-like, liquid, fissured from them. The, static, face, suddenly, turned animated. The mouth twisted into a silent scream of mental agony, teeth and tongue bearing themselves in uncomfortable detail. The ridges of the roof...the bumps of taste buds...It all looked like flesh...though made from wood.

Inside the mouth, another glow of Izuku’s energy formed, silent as the air that fell around them, before chains and tendrils shot out, binding Kamui’s arms to his sides and dragging him to the ground, where the man nodded.  
“I’ve been pinned. Spar ended. Four minutes and forty seconds.”

_It had only been four minutes?!_

The energy dissipated and the tree crumbled away into splinters, being devoured by the earth, once more. Kamui was released, letting him stand and brush his fingers over the rips in his bodysuit, idly. Once he looked up, upon seeing no movement from his opponent, he found the teenager still knelt on one knee with his hands on the ground.

He looked like a statue.

Coming a little closer, he spotted the blood that dribbled from his nose, slightly. Then, he saw the shaking. Green eyes were rolled slightly, making him rush over.  
“Midoriya!” He moved the teenager onto his side and straightened one leg, so he could be on his side. It looked like a Grand Mal. 

When he looked up to get someone to get the nurse, Izuku...spoke.  
“Nuh...No...I...Ihm...I’m alright…” He shuddered, as the episode came to a stop. He sat up and hissed, as he let his face fall into his hand.

Red eyes stared at him.  
“When the HELL have you ever seized?!” Bleary green eyes flicked up, slowly.  
“Uh...Since...um...The accident that made my quirk come in...My...My magic stabbed into my brain, in my panic, and damaged a couple parts.” Kamui put a hand to his back.  
“Were you...conscious through that seizure?”  
“Yes. I always am. It has something to do with my healing magic. It keeps my brain from damaging itself to the point of losing consciousness. I’m alright. I just need a minute to get my equilibrium back.”

A raven girl, with kind grey-black eyes walked over and crouched.  
“Here…” She passed him a small water bottle, helping him unscrew the top and putting her hand to the bottom, so that it wouldn’t spill.  
“Thank you.” He took the napkin she’d, also, offered and wiped the blood from his nose.  
“Sorry for the scare. I get seizures pretty regularly. They started about a year ago, when the accident took place. I, usually, only get ones that’re self contained and moderate in intensity. I really only get bad ones should one form while I’m doing something that requires a lot of magic, I use magic that my body can’t handle, or I’m in certain planes that my body rejects. If I...uh...black out, while having a seizure, please call my parents...and maybe my adopted grandmother...Those three have some of the most potent healing magic I’ve ever seen.”

Kamui nodded to him and helped him stand, as a timid hand went up.  
“Hagakure-san? Is something wrong?” She seemed a little nervous, seeing Izuku zero in on her face.  
“Um...May I ask what planes make you...um...have seizures?” He nodded once.  
“If I try to shift into any plane that would mimic a dimensional being higher than a third, like us, my body cannot, physically, handle it. It’s only because I have magic that I can even dip a toe into it. The other one is a plane that allows me to control the form my molecules take. That plane isn’t fun to be in, so that one’s a bit...off the table, unless I really need to use it. The magic abilities that screw me up are glitching, like skeletons do, and green, detainment, magic. I can use green without seizures, but I bleed pretty bad from the nose and ears. Glitching...I just come out the other side seizing. Grand Mal Seizures, but I’ll be flickering between consciousness and unconsciousness…” He took a breath and walked to the others, getting some pats on the back.

Shinji cleared his throat.  
“You all did wonderful, today. Now that I see where you are, I can build lessons around it. We have ten minutes before the bell rings. Use this time to change and retrieve your belongings from the classroom. Should you have any questions for me, I will be in the classroom, briefly, before I need to meet with the other teachers, during lunch.”

They all filed back towards the locker rooms, as the hero returned to the classroom to unlock the door.


End file.
